Marriage Without Love
by Romannntic Person
Summary: -AU- Sakura Haruno finds herself married to a guy she barely knows, let alone loves… SasukexSakura
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… _

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_Chapter 1_

The slam of the bathroom door caused Sakura to look over at it with sadness in her beautiful green eyes. Sighing softly, she glanced down at the silky bed sheets that were dark blue in colour and smoothed out the creases.

Looking around his room - she didn't know if she could call it their room - she noticed that nearly everything in the room was a deep blue colour and that the room was huge.

Once she heard the sound of running water, Sakura walked over to the walk-in-closet and stripped off the white dress, hanging it neatly at the end of the wardrobe. A smile formed on her lips when she looked through the dozens of clothes that were hanging there for her, pausing when she reached the night clothes.

Her face turned bright red as she pulled out the least revealing night wear. It was a spaghetti-strapped dress and as she held it against herself, she smiled when it reached past her knees.

After she was dressed, Sakura loosened her long pink hair from its messy bun, letting it cascade down to her lower back. Wiping off her make-up, she walked over to the bed and looked down at it nervously before sitting down at the edge.

Sakura started playing with her nails as she waited for him to come out. Sighing, she wondered how she ended up in a situation like this... It all started with an arranged marriage, which neither of them were happy about...

Her lips formed a frown when she remembered their first encounter. She had thought that he was incredibly good-looking at first sight, but all positive thoughts flew out of the window when he treated her as if _She_ had FORCED him to marry her.

Pulling her knees to her chest, she hugged herself and tried to push the thoughts away as they were all in the past, but she couldn't help it. The reason why her parents had been so happy about this marriage was simply because her in laws were the richest family in Konoha, not to mention that her father was good friends with his father...

Why did she agree to this marriage if she wasn't happy about about it? Well, she had thought that maybe through time he would stop being so cold to her - which had proved to be wrong - and they could actually be happy... After all, her parents had an arranged marriage and they didn't seem to have any problems...

Sighing for the tenth time that day, she also remembered that she had gone through with the marriage for her father's sake, as she didn't want to disappoint him. Why couldn't she have just thought about what was best for her?

Her eyes widened when a single tear slid down her cheek, and as she hurried to wipe it off, she heard the bathroom door open. She had been so deep into her thoughts that she never heard the water stop...

Biting her lip softly, she slowly raised her head to look at him. HE came out, dressed in more comfortable clothes without even passing so much as a glance in her direction. His emotionless dark eyes rested ahead, whereas as lips were pulled down in a slight frown.

Straightening up, she watched his moves carefully. He, as in her husband - she tried not to frown but failed - walked to the other side of the bed and grabbed a pillow. Watching him curiously, she saw him grab a blanket that had been folded neatly at the side, before crossing to the other side of the room and placing his pillow down on the couch.

_'So much for starting anew...'_ Sakura thought, refusing to look hurt. She should be used to his behaviour by now, but still... She had been hoping that maybe he would be willing to give them a chance after the wedding.

She watched as he lied down on the couch and shifted uncomfortably, said couch being too small for him. Sakura noticed his legs dangling from the armrest in slight amusement before it melted away into sadness again.

"Sasuke," Sakura called out softly, causing him to freeze in his movement. She knew why. They hardly ever spoke... "There's plenty of room on this-"

"Hn." He cut her off with a grunt, turning around on the couch so he wasn't facing her direction. Frowning, she refused to let the tears fall as she got under the covers and attempted to fall asleep, squeezing her eyes tight in order to stop the tears from coming out.

X

Sakura shot up, glancing around the room. She sighed when she realized that she had been dreaming again. Looking over at the couch, she wondered how uncomfortable Sasuke might be, sleeping in a cramped place like that.

_'It's his fault! That's what he gets for being so stubborn!'_ She thought, pushing her pink bangs away from her vision. Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty for taking his bed when she saw him curled up on the couch with the blanket nowhere to be seen.

Scolding herself for her kind heart when he didn't even care a tiny bit for her, she found herself sliding out of bed and walking over to the couch. Sakura looked down at his peaceful face, but then sighed and bent down to pick the blanket from the floor. Tucking it around him and making sure that it wouldn't fall off; she walked back to the bed and shivered as she got under the covers.

X

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She squinted as the bright light blinded her, before sitting up slowly and rubbing the sleep away. After she was done yawning, she ran her fingers through her tangled hair and looked across the room to see that the couch was empty.

"Oh! Good morning Ms Uchiha, Mrs Uchiha said to tell you to join the family for breakfast." A maid smiled at Sakura brightly.

Sakura, who had been quite startled at the maid's presence, nodded and got out of bed. She smoothed out the sheets and shook her head with a smile at the maid who tried to stop her. Before she could enter the bathroom to freshen up, she became aware of another presence in the room.

"Isn't my lovely sister-in-law awake yet - Whoa! Someone's looking wild!"

Sakura turned around to see Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, and she couldn't help but flush up at his comment.

"Did l'il bro keep you up all night? It took you forever to wake up!" Itachi teased, smiling knowingly.

"H-huh?" Sakura stuttered, wanting to tell him that he misunderstood everything, but decided against it. When she saw him open his mouth, she quickly spoke up again. "Tell mother I'll be there in a few minutes!"

Without waiting for his reply, she quickly walked inside the bathroom and locked the door, hearing him chuckle in amusement on the other side. Itachi was so friendly... She wondered why Sasuke was so... Grouchy and cold all the time.

X

"Good morning father, mother... Itachi." Sakura pouted slightly when she saw him give her a teasing grin.

"Aw, good morning to you too my dear, I hope you had a good night's rest and settled in your new home without any trouble." Mikoto Uchiha smiled at Sakura warmly, not noticing Itachi smirk at Sakura who turned crimson in response.

"Good morning," Fugaku Uchiha nodded his head before standing up. "Mikoto, I'm going to work."

"Alright, I'll walk you to the door." Sasuke's mother excused herself, following her husband out of the dining room. Sakura, who had been standing by the chair next to Sasuke's, sat down and looked at him.

"Good morning... Sasuke." She whispered, watching him simply nod in acknowledgement. Itachi looked between them before walking out too, probably to give them 'privacy'. Sakura would have been happier if he had stayed, that way, it wouldn't have been too awkward.

"Sasuke, why are you always like this? We are married now, don't you think we should-"

"I told you before that nothing changes between us." Sasuke replied coldly, standing up and walking out of the room, leaving Sakura feeling more hurt than she looked.

Glancing down at the food laid before her, she stood up and walked out of the room, making her way upstairs. Once she entered their room, she smiled and nodded at the maid who greeted her.

Sakura opened the balcony door and walked out, placing her hands on the railing as she looked down below. A frown formed on her lips when she saw Sasuke standing near the huge swimming pool with a blonde-haired and blue-eyed guy who she guessed was his best friend.

_'So he does know how to make friends...' _Sakura thought sarcastically, her green eyes trailing down his form. He was dressed in a loose-fitting white shirt with navy-coloured pants. His soft-looking raven hair swayed in the gentle breeze and even though his friend was laughing at something, Sasuke still remained emotionless. He shoved his hands in his pockets as his dark eyes narrowed at the blonde.

Sakura tucked her pink hair behind her ear and wondered why he hadn't gone to work yet. _'Oh, I forgot...' _Mr Uchiha was one of the richest men in Konoha, meaning that his sons could laze around while he worked.

"That must be why he is such a big jerk, his dad spoilt him, but then again... Why isn't Itachi a jerk too?" Sighing, she leaned on the railing, wishing she could go back in time and say 'no' to them when they came, asking for her hand in marriage...

Ebony eyes darted upwards to the balcony all of a sudden, causing Sakura to shriek in surprise and move away. She scolded herself for being caught staring at him, wondering why she did it in the first place.

Flipping her low ponytail behind her shoulder, she walked inside the room and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. _'I wonder what mom and dad are doing...'_

X

"Wow teme, I can't believe that you're actually married! You've finally grown into a man!" Naruto Uzumaki - Sasuke's best friend - exclaimed, grinning as he folded his hands behind his head. Sasuke looked uninterested at the topic of their conversation, shooting the blonde an annoyed glance.

"Hn."

"Speaking of which, how was she last night?" Just as the words left Naruto's mouth, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. "Hey! What the hell was that for, teme?!"

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I bet she didn't, you know... That explains why you're so grumpy today and - Hey! Quit it with the slaps!"

"Shut up." Sasuke gave him another smack on the head before shoving his hand in his pocket.

"Man, I wonder how your wife agreed to marry you... I mean, you're such a bastard!" Naruto thought out loud, making a run for it as he saw Sasuke take out his hand again.

Sasuke blinked when he saw Naruto stick out his tongue childishly and flash him the 'loser' sign with his fingers. He shook his head with a smirk at his friend's antics and watched him walk out of the mansion.

Looking up at the balcony, he noticed that Sakura was no longer there. Shoving his hand in his pocket, his face was wiped out of any emotion as he made his way inside the mansion and to his room.

Sasuke opened the door to see Sakura sitting down on the bed, reading a book. She then looked up at the sound of the door, and as soon as she saw that it was him, went back to reading.

Not saying anything, he walked over to his wardrobe and took out a bag. He knew that she was secretly watching his every move. Taking out his clothes, he dumped them inside the bag and turned around to face her. Sakura quickly directed her gaze elsewhere.

"Pack up your things."

"I - What?" Sakura asked, looking up at him in confusion. He turned around to stuff more things inside the bag. "Sasuke, I-"

"Are you deaf? I said pack. Your. Things." Sasuke muttered in annoyance, closing the bag and zipping it, then walking over to the door. Before he could step out, Sakura had clambered out of bed and was holding his arm.

"Why? Why do I have to pack my stuff?"

"Let go." He said through gritted teeth, trying his best to be patient.

"Not until you give me an answer."

Sasuke turned around to give her a glare, and without saying anything, pulled his arm out of her grip and stormed out of the room.

X

Sasuke walked inside the room to see that Sakura had finished packing up her things. Grabbing his bag, he waited by the door for her to join him.

When he felt her presence behind him, he walked out of the room and down the stairs. His mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, looked surprised to see her son and daughter-in-law with their bags.

"Sasuke honey, what does this mean?" Mikoto asked sweetly, looking between them.

"We're moving to my house." Sasuke replied bluntly, feeling Sakura's surprise even though he wasn't looking at her. His mother raised a delicate eyebrow as her lips formed a slight grin.

"You're more than welcome to stay here, but do whatever you like sweetie. Sakura dear, I see you couldn't stand living with your in laws for more than a day..."

"Oh! No mother! It's nothing like that, I-" Sakura stopped rambling when she saw Mikoto give her a teasing smile. The older woman was only joking with her.

"They need their privacy mom."

Sasuke and Sakura looked up to see Itachi leaning on the wall. Sakura flushed up, whereas Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Itachi grinned upon seeing the glare and stood next to his mother who was supporting the same teasing look as him.

"Isn't father home yet?" Sasuke asked, shoving his free hand in his pocket. Mikoto shook her head. "Let's go Sakura."

Sakura jumped at the sound of her name slightly before nodding her head. She was about to follow him out of the door, when his mother stood in their way.

"At least eat dinner before you leave." She smiled sweetly, holding on to Sasuke's arm. Itachi nodded in agreement, his playful grin still placed on his lips.

"No, thank you mother, Sakura will cook something. We need to leave now." Sasuke looked away in irritation when he saw his mother grab Sakura in a hug.

"Goodbye dear, don't forget to visit us sometimes." Mikoto said, pulling away to smile at her warmly.

"I will mother," Sakura returned the smile, before moving her eyes over to Itachi with a grin. "Bye Itachi... The brother I never had."

Itachi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Take care Sakura... The sister I never had."

All of them laughed except for Sasuke who walked out of the door without saying anything. Sakura smiled at Itachi and Mikoto once more before quickly walking out after him.

_'Why can't he be nice like the rest of his family?'_ She thought sadly, her green eyes following him as he sat down in the driver's seat.

Opening the door to the passenger seat, she sat down and prepared herself for an awkward ride to his house.

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_A/N: Is it worth continuing? Please review! _

_Btw – Have I got Sasuke's parents' names right? Just checking… One more thing, I know the title sucks, so please tell me if you can think of something that suits the story better. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you all very much for the lovely reviews. :) I hope you like the new chapter... Enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Wish I did though... :( _

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Chapter 2

The car screeched to a halt, causing Sakura to jolt forward. She looked next to her to see Sasuke get out of the car and storm up to what she supposed was his house.

Sighing, she stepped out of the car and watched him unlock the door and enter the house without saying anything to her. She took the moment to quickly take in his house but couldn't really tell what it was like because of the dark.

Realizing that his car was still unlocked, she pondered whether or not to take out her bag but then decided to leave it for him to take out later. It was the least he could do for giving her the silent treatment...

Biting her bottom lip softly, she walked inside the house and gaped at the sight. The Uchihas' sure were rich! She had expected his house to not be that great but it was even better than his parents' house if that was possible! The only difference was that this house was only two stories high and there were no maids scurrying around...

"Sakura," His voice came out from her left, causing her to jump slightly. Frowning, she made her way over to his voice, wondering what he had to say.

The sound of his voice brought her to what appeared to be a large kitchen. Sasuke was leaning against the counter, his hands shoved in his pockets and his dark eyes fixed on her. She avoided looking in his eyes and looked around the kitchen instead.

"Cook. The fridge and the cupboards." Sasuke muttered, not realizing that his sentence came out totally wrong. Sakura held back a laugh and raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to cook the fridge and the cupboards?" The pink-haired beauty asked in amusement, watching him shoot her an annoyed look before leaving the kitchen without saying anything else.

With her shoulders slumping, she walked over to the cupboards and looked for something to cook for dinner. She knew that he stayed with his parents and brother, but maybe he came to visit his house too... Otherwise, why would there be food in the kitchen? Which brought her to a very confusing question that she had tried to find an answer for during the car ride: Why did he want to come to his house all of a sudden?

X

Sasuke took out his bag out of the car and was about to close the door when something caught his eye. His eyes narrowed when he recognized the thing as Sakura's bag.

Taking it out, he locked his car and pulled the bags behind him. After setting them down near the front door, he walked inside the huge living room and sat down on the sofa as he waited for dinner to cook. Sakura sure did take her time when she was cooking...

He grunted in irritation when his stomach grumbled. He was hungry... Turning on the TV, he stared at it blankly as he began thinking about everything that had happened in his life.

Nobody knew about his relationship with Sakura, not even his close friend, Naruto... To everyone else, they were a happy married couple. He scoffed at the thought, rolling his eyes.

Even though he knew it wasn't her fault that they were married, he just couldn't make this marriage work the way she wanted to... She still hoped that they could be 'happy' but he knew better. There was no way that he was going to be happy with a girl that he barely knew...

Like always, he started cursing his father for making him marry when he clearly didn't want to.

"Sasuke..."

The young Uchiha looked up to see Sakura with a small smile that he knew was forced. "What?" He snapped.

"Dinner's ready." Sakura replied softly, turning around and making her way to the dining room. Sasuke looked up at the clock: 7:18pm.

"Finally," He muttered as he followed her, wondering how she knew her way around his house so quickly. 'Must have gone on a tour...'

X

Sakura picked at her food nervously. She wondered if he would like what she had cooked... Looking up, she watched him stare at his plate.

"Sasuke, I wasn't sure what you liked so, uh, I-"

"Hn," He cut her off, sounding annoyed. Sakura frowned, she was trying to be nice and yet he always cut her off like a rude pig!

_'Too bad he doesn't look like one... He thinks he's the most handsome man on earth and God's gift to the women and well, in a way, it is true...' _Sakura admitted with a sigh. _'To everyone else he may be all this and that but to me he's nothing but a pompous, self-centred, jackass who thinks the whole world revolves around him!' _

The sound of glass shattering broke Sakura out of her thoughts with a startled jump. She quickly looked down to see glass covering the kitchen floor with the food that she had cooked. She looked up to see Sasuke glaring at her.

"Wha - Why did you do that Sasuke-?"

"What the hell is that?!" He snarled angrily, throwing his hand towards the mess on the floor.

"What's wrong with it? I-"

"Save it, I don't want to hear anything." With that, he shot up on his feet and stormed out of the dining room, leaving Sakura to bend down and pick up the glass pieces.

Something pricked her hand all of a sudden, causing her to bite her lip hard to stop herself from screaming out in pain.

Looking down, she saw a piece of glass sticking out from the side of her hand, but that pain was nothing compared to the hurt she was feeling... What had she ever done to deserve this?

X

"Sasuke, where do we sleep?" Sakura asked hesitantly, looking up at the clock which read: 8:32pm. She could have always picked out a room to sleep in, but she didn't want to make the Uchiha madder than he already was.

Said Uchiha grunted and glanced at her, as if to say 'follow me', before leaving the living room. Sakura stood up and followed him, making sure to leave a good amount of space between them.

"Um… Sasuke?" When he said nothing, she continued with a small frown. "The reason why I cooked that was because there wasn't anything else to cook..."

"Hn." He simply answered as usual, climbing up the stairs to the second floor. Sakura, who tried not to look annoyed at his reply, followed him without saying anything else.

She wondered what 'hn' meant, but gave up after a few seconds of thinking. She didn't understand Sasuke language at all...

Sasuke stopped in front of a door with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets as usual. He said nothing as he pushed the door open. Sakura entered the room quietly, and as she turned around to face him, she noticed that he was already gone...

X

The young Uchiha entered the room opposite hers and sat down at the edge of his bed. Massaging his forehead, he couldn't shake off the strange feeling in his stomach. The feeling of... Guilt...

He scoffed at the thought and pulled his shirt over his head. There was no way that he was feeling guilty for yelling at her earlier...

Sasuke stayed in that position for a few more minutes, before standing up and making his way over to the bathroom.

X

Sakura glanced at the clock. 9:47pm... Where was Sasuke? Biting her lip gently, she climbed out of bed and slowly opened the door. Popping her head out, she frowned when she didn't see him anywhere and tip-toed out of the room quietly.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura jumped in surprise and spun around to see the person she had been looking for.

"I, um..." She mumbled, playing with her fingers nervously. His sigh caused her to look up. Sakura's beautiful green eyes showed confusion when she saw him walk inside the room she was standing next to.

What was he doing there? What if... What if he was sleeping in that room? She waited for a few minutes but he never came out. The slam of the door answered her question. So he really was sleeping in another room...

Turning around, she entered her room and closed the door. Turning off the light, she pulled the red covers away and got inside the cold bed, refusing to feel hurt by his actions. She understood now... The only reason they came to his house was so he could sleep apart from her without anyone getting suspicious...

X

It was around midnight when Sakura woke up with an urge to go to the bathroom. Sliding out of bed, she turned the light on in search of a bathroom inside the room but she found none.

Wondering what to do, she suddenly got an idea as she slowly opened the door and stepped out in the hallway. She didn't really care if he would be mad at her for disturbing him at this time, but just like she always said: it was the least he could do for making her life more miserable than it already was!

Smiling slyly, she turned the knob of the door as quietly as she could and waited for a few seconds before entering. She closed the door behind her and tip-toed over to the king-sized bed.

Sakura looked at his face - which she wouldn't have been able to see if it hadn't been for the moonlight peeking through the curtains - and smiled softly. He was always emotionless when conscious, but he looked so peaceful sleeping that it made her heart tighten in her chest.

She never blamed him for acting the way he did, but he could at least try it make it work like she did, could he not? Sighing softly, she reached out to shake his shoulder which was covered by the dark blue sheets... Or was it black?

Just as her fingers were about to touch him, a surprised squeal left her mouth and before she could even blink, she was trapped on the bed with her arms pinned beside her.

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_o_O A review would be very nice! ;) _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone, I hope this chapter makes up for it! Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story, please keep supporting me guys! :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does…_

_Note – English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes._

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_Chapter 3_

"S-Sasuke..." Sakura gulped down a very dry throat, not being able to look away from his piercing gaze. She was very aware of his body pressing against hers and couldn't control the blush that formed on her face. She had never been this close to a man before... She could only thank the darkness for hiding her red face.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, his hold tightening on her arms unconsciously.

"I-"

Sakura stopped when she realized that he was shirtless. She could feel the heat rushing twice as much to her cheeks as she avoided looking at him entirely. She had never seen a shirtless man before. Well, to be honest, she had… But this was different.

"When I ask you something, I expect an answer in return." His irritated voice cut in through her thoughts, causing her to flush up yet again.

"I, uh… Um, where is the bathroom?" Sakura asked quietly in embarrassment, wondering how he was going to react. She watched as he glared at her and lifted himself up. The pink-haired beauty looked away from his muscular torso and sat up, blushing all the while. She should have just opened all of the doors instead of waking him up for something so stupid. 'So much for getting payback… I think I'm gonna die from this embarrassing moment!'

"Next door," Sasuke spoke up, bringing Sakura out of her thoughts once again. Sakura stood up from his bed and muttered a soft, 'thank you', before leaving the room. When the door was closed behind her, she leaned against it and buried her head in her hands.

"God, that was so embarrassing! He probably thought I was trying to kill him or something…" Sakura thought out loud.

X

The next day, Sakura woke up to the sounds of bird chirping and the sunshine peeking in through the curtains gently. Sitting up in bed, she stretched out her arms and rubbed her eyes groggily.

Sliding out of bed, she grabbed her clothes from the bag that still needed unpacking and walked inside the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Sakura came out twenty minutes later while drying her long hair with a white towel. When she had finished, she walked out of her room and climbed down the stairs, expecting to see Sasuke in the living room but he was not there.

Shrugging, she entered the kitchen and made breakfast. '_He's probably still asleep…' _As she was drinking her tea slowly, Sasuke walked in the kitchen, looking grumpier than usual. He shot her a glance before sitting down at the table and pouring tea for himself.

"Good morning Sasuke," Sakura greeted him warmly, trying not to frown when he simply grunted in return. Sighing, she continued eating her breakfast quietly. When Sasuke stood up to leave, Sakura looked up in confusion. "Where are you going, Sasuke?"

He let out another grunt and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Out…"

"Oh… Well, I'll be going to my parents' house… Just thought I'd let you know." Sakura said softly, watching as he turned around and left without saying anything else. "At least he answered my question for once…"

X

"So how are things going between you and Sasuke, dear?" Mebuki Haruno asked, shooting her pink-haired daughter a pointed look. "He didn't seem very happy that day…"

Sakura let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, you were just seeing things mom. Sasuke was just a little nervous is all… We're _very _happy!" She cringed, hoping her mother would buy it.

"I see…" Mebuki pursed her lips in a thoughtful manner but said nothing else. "Could you pass me the vegetables dear?"

"Sure," Sakura replied, grabbing the basket of vegetables and handing it over to her mother. As she was doing that, she suddenly remembered something very important. "Oh! Mom, I need to go grocery shopping! We moved to Sasuke's house last night… Tell dad I said hi!"

"But Sakura-" Mebuki turned around only to catch a glimpse of pink hair that disappeared around the corner. She shook her head with a smile and continued cutting the vegetables.

X

Sakura struggled with the shopping bags as she kicked the front door open. After she had set the bags down on the kitchen floor, she looked around for Sasuke but he was nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, she started taking out things from the bags when the doorbell rang three times.

Standing up, she walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to see spiky, blonde hair. Recognizing him as Sasuke's friend, she pulled the door open.

"Good evening," Sakura greeted politely with a smile, opening the door wider so he could enter. The blonde gave her a big grin as he marched inside, his hands folded behind his head.

"Good evening Sasuke's wife! Is teme here?" Naruto asked, taking his shoes off and dumping them to the side.

"No, but he will be… Why don't you have a cup of coffee while you're waiting for him…?" Sakura trailed off, wanting to know what his name was.

"Don't mind if I do!" Naruto chuckled before getting the hint. "Oh, my name is Naruto Uzumaki! I'm that bastard's childhood best friend! I find it weird how we haven't been introduced before, you know… With you being Sasuke's wife and all…"

"Well, nice to meet you Naruto. My name is Sakura Haru – Uchiha." Sakura corrected herself, trying not the frown at the mention of his name. It felt like she was still Sakura Haruno… "You go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll make coffee."

"Alright, thanks." Naruto slumped down on the sofa, drumming his fingers on his knee. Sakura left for the kitchen to make coffee, all the while thinking about a certain raven-haired boy and wondering where he was and what he was doing…

X

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his temples as he leaned back in his chair. He had nothing to do in his office… The reason he even came here was because he wanted to pass time since he didn't want to stay at home with Sakura.

Frowning, he looked up at the sound of the door only to look back down. _'What is she doing here?' _ He found himself asking, not being in the mood to deal with her right now.

"Sasuke…" She spoke up in what he supposed was meant to be a seductive tone. "Where were you all these days? It was just so boring here without you. I have missed you terribly… Look at me Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up to tell her to shut up only to have his eyes land where he least expected it to. The red-haired woman smirked and lowered herself so he could get a better view of her cleavage. Sasuke glared at her and looked away, not noticing her pout.

"Karin, leave my office right now."

"But Sasuke-"

"I said leave. Right. Now."

"Sasuke, is it true that you are married now?" Karin ignored him, crossing her arms across her chest while frowning. When Sasuke didn't reply, she glared at his desk angrily.

"Get out." The dark-haired Uchiha indicated to the door, having had enough with her. Karin opened her mouth to say something, but then stomped out of the office and slammed the door shut. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk slightly. Maybe his excuse of marriage with Sakura would finally cause her to back off him…

X

Sakura smiled and handed Naruto a cup of steaming coffee. Naruto took the mug with a cheerful 'thank you', and slowly took a sip, sighing happily afterwards.

"You know how to make delicious coffee Sakura-chan! I've never tasted coffee this good before in my whole life!" Naruto complimented, causing her to smile softly.

"Thank you Naruto, but it can't be that good-"

"It is!" Naruto insisted, taking another sip.

"If you say so," Sakura smiled again, grabbing her own cup of coffee. She pondered what to say to break the silence, but Naruto spoke up before she could.

"I can't believe you're married to Sasuke-teme… I mean, I never thought he would ever have a girlfriend let alone a wife! How did it happen anyway?" The blonde asked, gulping down another mouthful of the milky brown liquid.

Sakura forced a smile, although she was quite surprised that he never had a girlfriend before… "I guess we were meant to be together… Don't _you _have anybody special in your life?" She asked, wanting to change to subject.

"Nah… It's all thanks to that bastard! With him here, no girl will ever feel attracted to me!" Naruto said with a small pout, setting his empty mug down on the table. "They all go crazy when they see him, as if he's a movie star or something… Man, I hate that bastard! You'll never guess what he did this one time…"

"Tell me," Sakura noticed him hesitate, finding it strange how they were best friends when all they did was insult each other… Well, Naruto did.

"Oh, hehe," Naruto chuckled, rubbing his head sheepishly. "It happened about four years ago…"

_Flashback_

"So you guys ready?" Naruto asked his group of friends, grinning when they nodded and started making their way over to the beautiful girl. He chuckled as he watched them form a circle around the brunette. One of the boys grabbed her wrist, whereas the others laughed at the girl's attempts of breaking free from his grasp.

Naruto straightened up, pulled up his collar and swaggered his way over to the scene. Just as he was about to make himself known, a dark-haired boy appeared out of nowhere and pushed one of his friends, causing their hold on the girl to slip away.

_'T-that… Teme!' _Naruto clenched his fist, not wanting Sasuke to take all the credit of his hard work. He froze when Sasuke turned around and pointed a finger at him with a slight smirk.

"The dobe standing over there sent these lunatics to bother you so he could come and win your heart… Foolish plan if you ask me." The Uchiha shoved his hands in his pockets, his smirk widening.

Naruto glared at his 'friend' and looked over at the girl to check her reaction. He winced when she threw a crumpled piece of paper at him with a scowl, before turning to Sasuke with a blush.

"Thank you for telling me Sasuke-kun!I would never date an idiot like him! Are you interested in going out – Er, never mind." Her pupils practically turned into hearts as she stared at the Uchiha. The girl then turned to Naruto and glared once more before stomping away.

"Sasuke, you will pay for this you bastard!" Naruto yelled, shaking a fist in the Uchiha's direction.

"Think twice before messing with me again dobe…" Sasuke smirked, walking away without saying anything else. Naruto grumbled swear words under his breath and thought of how to get him back for this.

_End of flashback_

Sakura cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Naruto frowned when he saw her expression, but then he too, laughed.

"Why is Sasuke so anti-social?" Sakura found herself asking. There had to be a reason right? She then regretted asking him that.

"Well, Sasuke has always been like this ever since he was a kid. I think it's because he never got the attention that he always wanted…"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto shrugged. "His father was proud of his older brother Itachi and always praised him. Sasuke wanted to be complimented too, but his father didn't give him as much attention as he gave Itachi."

Before Sakura could say anything else; the sound of the front door caused her to look up quickly. A few seconds later, Sasuke entered the room.

"Good evening Sasuke…"

"Good evening teme!"

Sasuke's head shot up and when he saw Naruto, a frown formed on his face. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"Whoa! Did you just say Naruto? I can't believe you just called me by my name instead of 'dobe'!" The blonde exclaimed, ignoring his glare. "Oh, I get it! You're trying to impress your wife, aren't you? Don't worry though, I've already told her everything about you-"

"Leave… I don't have time for you." Sasuke cut him off, looking irritated.

"Aw, I'm hurt teme. I wait hours for you to come and that's how you treat me?"

"Out."

"Whatever teme, I enjoyed talking with your wife more than I ever will with you – Hey! Do not throw that! I'm getting out! Sheesh! I didn't know it was a crime to visit your best friend…" Naruto grumbled under his breath as he stood up. He then looked at Sakura with a grin. "It was nice talking with you Sakura, but I must go now. Bye!

"Goodbye Naruto, it was a pleasure meeting you." Sakura smiled gently, standing up as well. Naruto saluted before marching out of the room. When the front door slammed, Sakura turned to Sasuke, looking unhappy. "That was rather rude of you Sasuke, he was our guest-"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, cutting her off. He shot her an annoyed glance before walking out of the room. With a sigh, Sakura left the room and headed for the kitchen.

"This is hopeless; I will never be able to make it work if he's always like this…"

* * *

_A/N: Alright, I need a male Naruto character to be Sakura's childhood best friend… Any ideas? Please review, they mean more than you'll ever know! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hi everyone! I'm extremely sorry for the long wait… Please forgive me! Anyways, to make up for the wait, I made this chapter twice as long for you guys to enjoy! :) _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…_

_Note – Thank you all very much for the lovely reviews! I love reading every one of them! Keep 'em coming! ;)_

* * *

_Chapter 4_

Sakura smiled as she finished setting up the table. She had cooked many things; she only hoped her grumpy husband would like it… She was only fulfilling her job as a wife; she didn't care if he didn't deserve anything she was doing for him.

With a small sigh, she forced the smile back on her face and walked in the living room. Sasuke was slumped down on the sofa, his cold black eyes fixed on the TV screen, but she could tell something was on his mind.

"Sasuke," Sakura called out softly, noticing him stiffen slightly at the sound of her voice. Walking over to him with a brighter smile, she glanced down at his face and folded her arms behind her in an almost shy manner. "Dinner's ready."

Sasuke looked up at her beaming face for less than a second, before turning his attention back to the TV. "I already ate…"

"O-oh," Sakura's smile was wiped out of her face the moment the words left his mouth. She tried very hard to stop the disappointment from showing, but she could tell it was evident on her features.

Without saying anything else, she spun on her heel and strode out of the room. _'He already ate…? When? Where? Can't he be bothered to tell me anything at all? I worked so hard for this!' _Sakura thought angrily, stomping her way to the kitchen.

She glared at the food laid down on the table, and just as she was about to throw them away in the bin, she realized that it was not good to waste food. Plus, she had spent so much time preparing everything. They could eat it tomorrow for lunch… That is, if Mr I-can-do-anything-I-want didn't eat anywhere else.

Losing her appetite, she stored the food away inside the fridge and walked upstairs to her room, not bothering to check if he was still in the living room. She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice him coming her way, and stopped herself just in time from smashing her nose against his chest.

Sakura looked up to see his black eyes fixed on her. She tried to move around him, but he blocked her way. Sighing in annoyance, she opened her mouth to tell him to move, but he spoke up first.

"Where are you going?"

"My room…"

Sasuke didn't move, which caused the pink-haired female to let out a sigh. "What? I can't go to my room now?" She asked sarcastically, crossing her arms across her chest and refusing to look down from his intense gaze. Usually, she did whatever he wanted, but she was starting to get a little irritated with his constant behaviour.

"Did you eat?"

Sakura felt her breath get knocked out of her as her arms loosened slightly. Since when did he care? Ever since they had been engaged, he hadn't bothered to pay attention to her, let alone what she did…

"No… If you'll excuse me-"

"Go. Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Eat, Sakura."

"I said I'm not hungry-"

"Sakura," there was a warning tone in his voice. "Eat."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but then sighed when she realized that he wouldn't listen to her and she would only be wasting her breath. Shooting him a curious glance, she turned around and walked down the stairs.

As she was taking out the food, she noticed him walk in the kitchen and lean against the doorway, keeping his eyes on her. Probably to make sure she would eat…

Setting the dishes on the table, she sat down and began eating slowly, trying to ignore how his stares were sending small chills up her spine. Sakura found herself wondering why he cared whether she ate her food or not, but after a few minutes of thinking, she gave up and continued chewing her food. Maybe the reason why he was making her eat her food was if she died of starvation, he wouldn't get the blame… Or something like that.

Sakura ignored how ridiculous that sounded, and having finished her food, she took a spoon and began eating the dessert she had prepared. Hearing shuffling noises, she looked up just in time to see Sasuke walk out of the door…

X

_The next day…_

"Sakura! Where have you been? I have to admit I missed seeing your wide forehead around!" Ino Yamanaka, Sakura's close friend, exclaimed with a giggle.

The pink-haired beauty glared at the blonde playfully. "Well, being a married woman isn't easy work Ino-pig! How are things going with your lazy boyfriend?"

"Good… Hey! Shikamaru will not be happy about being called lazy!" Ino defended her boyfriend.

"I'm sure he won't mind… I mean, he himself always claims that he's lazy!" Sakura grinned. "I was only joking though... How are you Ino?"

"Oh I'm just great Sakura, how are _you _with your grumpy husband? I swear he tried to kill me when I told him to lighten up and smile a bit more!" The blonde shrugged, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder.

Sakura laughed nervously. "That's Sasuke for you…" Not wanting to continue this conversation, she tried to come up with an excuse to leave. "Listen Ino, I, uh… I have to go."

"What's the rush, Sakura?" Ino asked, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

"Oh, um-" The sound of a ringtone suddenly filled the air and Sakura had never been happier to see her mother calling. "Sorry Ino, I gotta answer this… Hello, mom?"

"Sakura! Come here right now!" Mebuki's voice replied urgently on the other line.

"Mom? Is everything alright-?" Sakura blinked in confusion when she realized that her mother had already ended the call.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino asked in concern, noticing her friend's puzzled expression.

"I don't know Ino… My mom called me over to their house – I'll talk to you later, ok?" Sakura set down her empty cup and stood up.

Ino nodded as she rose up and accompanied her pink-haired friend to the flower shop's exit.

X

"Well, look who's here." Itachi smirked, causing his mother to turn around. Her dark eyes brightened when she noticed her younger son standing near the doorway.

"Sasuke dear, glad you finally remembered us." Mikoto smiled jokingly and grabbed her son in an embrace. She then pulled back and pinched his cheeks before ruffling his hair.

"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore… Why don't you hug Itachi like that?" Sasuke grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Because… You're my baby boy!" Mikoto's smile brightened, causing Itachi to burst into laughter and Sasuke to glare at his brother.

"Hey mommy's baby boy, where is my lovely sister-in-law?" Itachi asked with a grin. Their mother looked around Sasuke as if expecting Sakura to pop out from behind him.

Sasuke grunted and looked away. "She was busy…"

"Oh, well, don't forget to bring her next time." Mikoto smiled softly. "How are things going between you two? I hope Sakura likes her new home."

"Hn," Sasuke answered with another grunt. "I came here to get something."

"Go ahead mommy's baby boy, we're not stopping you." Itachi smirked, stepping to the side mockingly. Apparently, he liked to piss Sasuke off…

Sasuke said nothing and moved to the stairs.

X

Sakura knocked on the front door hastily, wondering why no one was answering. Her mother's sudden phone call had worried her and she had practically sprinted the whole way. '_I'm gonna break this door if I have to-'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the front door opening and Sakura looked up only to freeze in shock.

X

"Sasuke honey, did you find what you need?" Mikoto asked, popping her head from the living room as Sasuke moved past.

"Hn, yeah…"

"You and Sakura are invited for dinner next week."

Sasuke halted. "Why?"

"We're going to have family dinners on Fridays each week."

"Why?"

Mikoto smiled. "Why not Sasuke…? You and Sakura don't live here anymore so I thought it would be nice if we all gathered here for dinner on Fridays."

"Count us out." Sasuke grunted.

"Don't be so stubborn Sasuke. If you and Sakura don't come, I will be deeply upset by you…" Mikoto said, knowing that would work.

"…" Sasuke said nothing as he simply walked out of the mansion and slammed the door shut.

Mikoto stared after him, wondering why he had been so persistent on not coming. "Probably because of Fugaku…" She sighed.

X

"Hello Sakura, it's been a long time hasn't it?"

Sakura snapped out of her shock as a huge grin formed on her lips. With a look of disbelief, she jumped into the person's arms and hugged as tight as she could.

"Neji! Oh my God! I can't believe it's you! I-I missed you soooo much! Oh my God! I'm so happy right now!" Sakura exclaimed, pulling away to look at him.

Neji chuckled softly and ruffled her hair. "I missed you too Cherry Blossom." He smiled when she pouted at her nickname and crossed her arms across her chest.

"That's all you can say to me after not seeing me for more than five years?" Sakura grumbled, her bottom lip sticking out as she glared at him playfully.

"… What else do you want me to say?" Neji asked, causing her to gasp and punch him on the shoulder light-heartedly.

"Well… You could say about how much I've changed… How I've matured-" She heard Neji chuckle at that which caused him another punch on the arm.

"Fine, as you wish princess Sakura." Neji bowed mockingly, but then let his white pupils trail down her figure with a small smile. "Your hair has grown longer; just like you always wanted."

Sakura smiled and twirled a long strand of pink hair around her finger. "What else?"

"You are taller than before…" Neji noted with a shrug, smirking afterwards. "But you are still not tall enough."

"Well nobody's a tall freak like you!" Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes while straightening up. "Tell me, what else?"

"Your forehead is still wide, your eyebrows too close together, your nose too small and your mouth too big. Happy?" Neji asked, not being able to control his smirk when she gasped in shock.

"Neji Hyuuga!" Sakura yelled, glaring at him playfully.

"I was only joking, Cherry. You have grown very beautiful," the Hyuuga smiled.

"So was I ugly before?" Sakura asked, grinning when he shook his head. She looked him up and down and gave him two thumbs up with a wink. "You've grown very handsome Neji! I almost didn't recognize you when I first saw you!"

"Really…? Well, I guess it's now your turn to tell me how much _I've _changed." Neji smirked, already knowing what she was going to say.

Sakura laughed. "Well, your hair is certainly longer than it was before. Your forehead is still small, your eyebrows too low, your nose too big and your mouth too small. Happy?"

Neji simply chuckled and pulled her in an embrace. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for your wedding, Sakura. What kind of best friend does that make me?"

"Aw, don't worry Neji. You're here now… That's what matters most." Sakura smiled as she pulled away from the hug. She then remembered something. "Neji, where is Hinata? Since you're here, shouldn't she be here too?"

"Hinata was very tired from the flight; she went to sleep as soon as we arrived here." Neji shrugged his shoulders. "She said she was going to visit you later…"

Sakura nodded. "Alright, I'll give you my address. I-"

"Sakura, who did you marry again?" Neji asked.

"Oh, um…" Sakura stuttered, avoiding his eyes. "S-Sasuke Uchiha…"

"Sasuke Uchiha… His name sounds familiar." Neji's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered where he had heard that name before.

"Yeah, uh, he's Fugaku Uchiha's youngest son." Sakura told him, playing with her fingers nervously. From what she had heard, the Hyuugas' and the Uchihas' were old rivals…

A scowl formed on Neji's face. "Why did you marry that guy, Sakura? Wasn't there anyone else you could marry besides _him_?"

"My parents were happy about getting me married to Sasuke." Sakura answered, trying to ignore the angry glare on Neji's face.

"What about you? Didn't your feelings matter?" The Hyuuga questioned, frowning at his best friend.

"I agreed to marry Sasuke..." Sakura replied simply. She didn't have to feel bad about lying because she was telling him the truth. After all, it had been her choice whether to marry him or not…

"Oh, Sakura, you're here!" Mebuki Haruno smiled. "Why don't you two come inside and catch up with each other while I make coffee?"

"That sounds great mom." After her mother had gone, Sakura grabbed Neji's arm in an attempt to drag him inside but stopped when she felt his muscles under his shirt. "Whoa! Those are some muscles you've got there! I bet you can't carry me all the way to the living room…" She grinned.

Neji shook his head with a chuckle. "Why didn't you just say you wanted to be carried?"

"I thought you wouldn't be that strong." Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck when he picked her up bridal style.

"God, you're heavy for a girl Sakura!" Neji avoided the punch that was aimed at his face and chuckled again. "Relax Cherry, I was only joking."

"You had better be," she grumbled threateningly before tightening her grip and resting her head on his shoulder with a smile. "I'm glad you're here Neji… It just wasn't the same without you."

Neji looked down at her with his own smile. "I know Sakura, I know…"

X

Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and entered the living room, expecting to see Sakura sitting down but she was nowhere to be seen.

"So anyway, I was very flattered when she said, _'don't say that Naruto! Sasuke is nowhere near as good-looking as you! You are the hottest guy to ever walk on earth!'_ and before I knew it, she was all over me and kept trying to kiss me but I politely pushed her away and…" Naruto stopped when he realized that his friend was ignoring him. "Hey! Are you even listening to me, teme?!"

"Shut up dobe." Sasuke grunted in irritation, knowing that whatever Naruto had been babbling about was untrue. He turned on the lights and sat down on a sofa, looking deep in thought. The blonde rolled his eyes and left the room, probably to get something to eat from the kitchen.

_'Where is she? She should have been home by now…' _Sasuke glanced up at the clock and frowned when it showed the time as 6:25pm.

Naruto walked back in the room holding a banana. "Sasuke, where is Sakura-chan?" He asked, taking a bite from the banana as he slumped down across from him. When Sasuke simply shot him an annoyed look, he sat up straighter. "What if she's in trouble Sasuke…? And yet you are sitting here without a care in the world like the bastard that you are and Sakura-chan could be in danger!"

"You always were a loser…" Sasuke muttered, lacing his fingers together in front of his face as he rested his elbows on his knees. Naruto glared and opened his mouth to say something, but Sasuke spoke up first. "She's fine." What Sasuke had actually wanted to say was, 'if you're so worried why don't you go look for her', but that would have been a strange thing to say.

Naruto blinked before throwing the banana skin at Sasuke who caught it with a glare. "How can you be so calm Sasuke? It's late, your wife hasn't showed up, and all you can say is, 'she's fine'?"

"I am fine Naruto… No need to worry."

Both Sasuke and Naruto looked over at the door to see Sakura standing there with a small smile. Sasuke looked away immediately, whereas Naruto brightened up.

"Sakura-chan, you're okay!" The blonde jumped up from the sofa and rushed over to her at once and just as he was about to pull her in for a hug, he stopped himself and rubbed his neck with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm not sure if you're comfortable enough with me hugging you."

Sakura smiled softly. "What are you saying, Naruto? Of course I don't mind! You showed concern for my safety like a true friend would… Thank you," she wrapped her arms around him in a loose hug, and he immediately returned it with a grin.

Sasuke, who was trying to ignore them, glared and cleared his throat without realizing what he was doing. When he saw them pull apart and stare at him, he looked away. "Sakura… Where were you?"

It took Sakura a minute to figure out that he had just asked her something. "… I was at my parents' house."

"…" Sasuke said nothing else. He stood up and left the room, causing Sakura to frown. What was his problem? She was snapped out of her thoughts when Naruto jumped on the sofa.

"So Sakura-chan… How are you?" Naruto asked, trying to make conversation. Sakura pushed away all thoughts of Sasuke away from her head and smiled at the blonde.

"I'm good and I hope you are well too." Sakura looked up at the clock, silently cursing in her mind. She had so much fun talking and catching up with Neji that she totally forgot about the time. _'I guess the saying is true… Time flies when you're having fun!' _

"Sakura-chan, can I ask you something?" Naruto asked again, leaning back while crossing one leg over the other.

Sakura grinned. "You already are!" She teased playfully, sitting down beside him. Naruto chuckled and looked around for a certain someone, before leaning closer to Sakura.

"How can you stand living with Sasuke-teme? I can't even imagine what it must be like! He's too conceited for his own good!" The blonde whispered, afraid of being heard. Sakura raised an eyebrow in slight amusement.

"I should ask you the same thing… I mean, you are his _best friend _after all!"

"True, but you are his wife! Although he probably treats you differently compared to others because…" Naruto trailed off with a snicker and nudged Sakura.

_'You're right, he does treat me differently… Just not the way you think he does.' _Sakura sighed and stood up, shooting the confused Naruto a small smile.

"I'm going to cook dinner, be our guest tonight Naruto." Just as the words left her mouth, Naruto grinned before it slowly faded away. Sakura looked on in confusion as Naruto stood up with a sigh.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, but I better go now. Sasuke-teme won't be very happy to still see me here… Which makes me wonder why; he had no problem with me staying in his house before…" Naruto murmured the last part, not wanting her to hear, but Sakura heard it anyway.

"Naruto, I will let you go on one condition: if you eat dinner here."

"But-″

"No buts Naruto!"

"But- Fine."

Sakura gave him a bright smile before walking out of the room.

X

Sasuke stepped out of the shower and wrapped a white towel around his waist. Striding out of the bathroom, he walked over to his closet and took out a navy blue top with black pants. He grabbed the top and pulled it over his head without bothering to do the three buttons, leaving a hint of his muscular chest to be shown.

After he was wearing the pants, he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and ran a hand through his messy raven locks as he walked out of his room and made his way downstairs. The delicious aroma of food filled his senses which caused his stomach to growl in hunger. If he wasn't mistaken, Sakura had cooked rice balls…

He frowned at the mention of her name and wondered what had been so interesting in her parents' house that she had stayed that late… Sasuke had wanted to question her more, but then decided that he didn't care and it would only be a waste of his breath.

Sasuke entered the living room, spotted something blonde from the corner of his eye, but paid it no mind. As he was about to drop down on the sofa, he did a double take and narrowed his eyes at the blonde 'thing'.

"Dobe, what are you still doing here?" He asked grumpily.

"Nice to see you two, Sasuke! I hoped a hot shower would cheer you up, but I see nothing works on you…" Naruto sighed dramatically, collapsing on the sofa that Sasuke had wanted to sit on. Sasuke glared and sat down across from him. The blonde looked up and grinned. "Nothing cheers you up… except your wife!"

Sasuke's glare darkened. "Shut up before I make you… What are you doing here?" He waited for the blonde to answer, but Naruto just stared at him blankly. "I asked you something loser…"

Naruto brought his thumb and forefinger to his mouth and pretended to open a zip. Sasuke blinked at him and wondered what the fool was doing.

"Sorry Sasuke, but you told me to shut up!" The blonde chuckled, thinking to himself, _'I'm so funny!'_ Sasuke sighed and murmered 'idiot' under his breath.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, why are you here?" Sasuke asked for the third time, hating how he had to repeat himself.

Naruto smiled nervously. "Oh, hehe… Sakura-chan said I'm your guest for dinner."

"You're not my guest."

"Oops! My mistake! Your _kind_ and _friendly_ wife said I'm _her _guest for dinner."

Sasuke glared at the blonde, stood up, and made his way to the kitchen. Naruto stared after him in confusion, before shrugging and leaning back on the sofa as he placed his arms behind his head.

X

Sakura opened the fridge and took out an opened container of cream. When she turned around, she jumped at the sight of Sasuke standing in the doorway which caused some of the cream to spill out.

"Geez Sasuke, you scared the hell out of me!" Sakura exclaimed, looking down at the spattered cream. She would have to clean it up later… She placed the cream on top of the counter and continued making the dessert.

"What is Naruto doing here?" Sasuke asked, getting straight to the point. Sakura turned around to look at him.

"Oh, didn't he come with you?" She questioned back, restraining a laugh at the look on his face.

"Stop playing dumb with me Sakura, he did come with me, but I never invited him for dinner." Sasuke replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

Sakura turned around fully and frowned. "What kind of friend are you, Sasuke? What if he hears you? What is he going to think? From what I heard, you didn't have any problem with him staying over before, so what's the problem now?"

"You weren't here before." Sasuke answered bluntly, causing Sakura to freeze.

"What has me being here got to do with anything?" Sakura asked as she, too, folded her arms across her chest. She tried not to frown and waited patiently for him to respond.

"He will get suspicious…" Sasuke trailed off, his voice low.

"About what?" Sakura asked again with a frown, knowing very well what he meant.

"The way we behave towards one another." The Uchiha replied, sounding peeved. Sakura was beginning to get on his nerves…

Sakura let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, you mean the way _you _behave towards me? I've done nothing wrong! It's you who won't give this stupid marriage a chance when I've done everything I could and still am!" Her voice rose, her face unreadable.

"Sakura-″

"Now if you would please excuse me, I have to finish making the dessert." Sakura cut him off and moved towards the fridge to take out the strawberries. Sasuke frowned and followed her lead.

"Naruto-″

"Hmm, what else is needed to make strawberry mousse – Ahh!"

Sakura, who had been too focused on trying to block Sasuke out, forgot about the spilt cream and accidently stepped on it, which caused her to slip. She closed her eyes and waited for the moment where she would land on the kitchen floor with an embarrassing thud…

Only it never came.

_'Huh?' _Sakura froze when she felt two arms wrap around her waist tightly, effectively stopping her fall. Opening one eye, she found herself staring into emotionless onyx pools. She shouldn't have been taken aback since _he_ was the only one in the kitchen with her and therefore it made sense that _he_ stopped her from humiliating herself but she couldn't help it. It was so… Unlike him-

"Hey Sasuke, where did you disappear off to – Oooh, am I interrupting something?" Naruto, who had just entered the kitchen, grinned slyly. He chuckled when he saw Sakura, who still remained frozen in Sasuke's arms; turn a deep shade of red.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pulled Sakura to a standing position, straightening up afterwards. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"You called me by my name again, but anyway… Sorry to walk in on your private moment you guys, but I was worried Sasuke lost his way to the living room and I thought it was a good idea to go around looking for him, but I now realize it was not and I should have just stayed in the room and let you guys get on with your 'activity' in peace and-″

"Just shut up, will you?" Sasuke interrupted the blonde, glaring irritably.

"Fine…" Naruto pouted. He then turned to Sakura who was busy straightening her clothes. "Isn't dinner ready Sakura-chan? I'm so hungry I could eat a whole elephant!"

Sakura looked up through her bangs and gave him a small smile. "It's almost finished… Why don't you and Sasuke leave so I can set up the table?"

"Sure Sakura-chan! Come on; let's go back to the living room teme!" Naruto exclaimed energetically. He grabbed Sasuke's arm on his way, attempting to drag him along, but the Uchiha pulled his arm out of the blonde's grasp harshly.

"_Don't _drag me like I'm some animal, I can walk myself!" Sasuke growled, causing his friend to flinch away with wide eyes.

"Geez teme, you wouldn't make a move to walk out so I thought I had to, er… _Pull _you along! I never meant to make you look like an animal, although you did just growl right now and-″ Naruto stopped talking when he was shot a death glare and instead rubbed his head sheepishly.

Sakura couldn't control herself anymore, so she burst out laughing at the interaction between the two 'friends'. Sasuke gave her the intimidating glare that would have made the president shut up, but Sakura wasn't fazed one bit.

"… I'll be going now!" Naruto informed them, running out of the room before Sasuke went mad.

"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke frowned deeply, slipping his hands in his pockets.

Sakura bit her lip to stop the giggles from coming out and shrugged. "Your expression was hilarious after Naruto's comment!"

"…" Sasuke glared hotly, before it melted into a small smirk. "Says the girl who was about to fall and crack her head in the process…"

Sakura gasped and was about to make a retort, but Sasuke had already walked out of the door.

X

"Mmmm, this is so delicious! You're a _great _cook Sakura-chan! I've never tasted anything better than this in my whole life! Well… Maybe except ramen." Naruto grinned cheerfully, popping another rice ball in his mouth.

"Thank you for the compliment Naruto, I appreciate it." Sakura smiled, filling her glass with lemonade. She took a small sip and trailed her eyes over to Sasuke.

The dark-haired Uchiha chewed slowly, his onyx eyes set on his plate and his hands laced together in front of his face. Sakura felt her stomach flutter, but didn't have much time to think about it because Sasuke looked up swiftly, causing her to snap her head the other way.

_'Ow!' _The pinkette cursed inwardly. Sakura nibbled on a rice ball and turned to Sasuke again. "Sasuke, do you like it?" She asked hopefully.

"Hn, it's okay." Sasuke grunted out, secretly liking the taste, but not wanting to admit it out loud. Sakura didn't know, but rice balls were his favourite food…

Naruto's eyes bulged. "What? It's okay? _Okay!? _These rice balls are tastier than the ones they cook in the restaurants and all you can say is they're okay!? You said rice balls are your favourite food!" The blonde exclaimed, his blue eyes wide.

"They are?" Sakura questioned, before realizing her mistake. "I mean, sure they are!"

Sasuke sighed. "Dobe, can't you just shut up and eat your food quietly?"

"Whatever teme, you're just being rude! Your wife spent precious minutes of her life cooking rice balls for a bastard like you and instead of encouraging her, all you can say is 'hn, it's okay'? Whatever the hell 'hn' means anyway…" Naruto trailed off. "When I'm married and my wife cooks the most revolting thing ever, I will still encourage- ″

"Nobody gives a damn about what you'll do." Sasuke interrupted coolly, ignoring Naruto's useless glare. He inserted another rice ball in his mouth and chewed slowly.

"That's really sweet of you Naruto, I wonder who the lucky girl will be…" Sakura smiled softly, noticing the blonde's cheeks redden at her comment. "Try the strawberry mousse."

"Sure!" Naruto said cheerfully, grabbing a spoon. "Mmm, this is so delicious! Better than any dessert I've ever tasted before!"

Sakura giggled when Naruto shoved more strawberry mousse in his mouth and took a spoon and a glass for herself. "Mm, it does taste good." She smiled; about to eat more when she realized that Sasuke was leaning back and watching them eat. "Sasuke, aren't you going to try the dessert?"

"You know I don't like sweet things." Sasuke replied flatly, eyeing the glass as if it was poisoned. Sakura stared at him – she couldn't remember when he had told her that, so she decided that he hadn't and was only telling her now.

_'But why…? I love sweets!' _Sakura thought disbelievingly, wanting to ask why, but not feeling like pressing the issue.

"Dinner was delicious… Thank you Sakura." Sasuke said all of a sudden, startling Sakura so much with his comment that she nearly choked. The pinkette looked up with wide, green eyes to see him stand up and shove his hands in his pockets. "Excuse me for a minute." The Uchiha continued, and before Sakura or Naruto could say anything, he was out of the door.

Apparently, Naruto was just as surprised as she was. "Wow! That had to be the nicest thing I've ever heard coming out of Sasuke's mouth!" He turned to face her with an open jaw. "What have you done to teme?!"

Sakura giggled, but couldn't ignore the fluttering of her heart. "I do the cooking, so he probably thought that the least he can do is appreciate what I do for him…"

"Mm, that makes sense I guess…" The blonde pursed his lips, before grinning brightly. "Thank you very much for the mouth-watering dinner Sakura-chan! I better get going now." Naruto said cheerfully, standing up from his seat.

"You're very welcome Naruto, please do come again sometime." Sakura smiled politely, rising to her feet as well. She accompanied him to the exit and held the door open for him.

"I will! Thanks again for everything… Bye!" And with a small wave, he was out of the door.

Sakura locked the door and walked back to the dining room. _Dinner was delicious… Thank you Sakura… _Sasuke's voice echoed in her head, causing her to bite her lip with a smile. She started piling the dishes on top of one another when Sasuke arrived in the doorway.

"Did Naruto go?" He asked, leaning back while crossing his arms across his chest. Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled as she continued stacking the dishes.

"Mm-hm, he left just now." Sakura answered, placing the dishes on a tray. She reached out, about to grab the tray, but stopped and looked up at him. "Sasuke…" He frowned. "I just wanted to say-″

The dark-haired Uchiha cut her off with a grunt. "Just because I spoke to you in front of Naruto doesn't change anything between us…" He gave her a small glower, before walking out and leaving a puzzled and hurt Sakura.

X

Sasuke sighed and collapsed on his bed. He positioned his hand behind his head and stared up at the dark ceiling. After a minute or so, he turned his head to the side and glared.

Sakura didn't deserve how he was treating her. The hurt in her emerald green eyes was still fresh in his mind and it was making him feel guilty… And he hated feeling like that…

Grumbling, he sat up on his bed and ran a hand through his dark, raven hair. He cursed his father once again for putting him in this situation. It was like the only thing that made his father happy was watching him suffer. If not, then why hadn't Itachi gotten married instead of him? Why… Why did he treat him like he was still a kid? That he knew nothing?

Itachi had always been his father's favourite… It would have made more sense if his brother married instead of him… When Fugaku had asked Itachi to marry – Sasuke chuckled bitterly – his brother had refused the offer and his father never bothered him again. But when he…

Sasuke's glare darkened. His father had demanded that he should marry, and when he had politely declined, the older Uchiha hadn't listened. The next thing Sasuke knew, he was engaged to someone he knew nothing about.

The youngest Uchiha member had been furious, wanting to cancel the marriage right that instant, but his mother had pleaded him to go through with it. She had told him that his father was only doing what was best for him and at that, Sasuke had scoffed. He had wanted to storm up to Fugaku and argue that he could make his own choice, but one look at his mother's crying face had him changing his mind.

Shaking the past away from his mind, he pulled his top over his head and threw it, watching it land somewhere near the table.

Sakura wasn't to blame for this, he knew. In fact, just like she had told him earlier, she was trying really hard to make this marriage work, but he… He couldn't.

He just couldn't make the marriage work because… Because…

_'You're being too stubborn. You decided from the very first moment you saw her that you weren't going to be happy with her... That this marriage wouldn't work… You're not even willing to give her a chance because of that! Sakura's not a bad girl… She's smart, kind and friendly… Not to mention pretty… And nothing like those fangirls that like to invade your personal space and cling to you all day long…' _His inner popped up suddenly.

Ignoring his inner self, Sasuke lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes. His family thought that he and Sakura were getting along well when they actually weren't… He knew he was to blame for that, but he didn't want anything to change between them. The reason why both of them married was not for love, but for the respect they had for their parents… Even though he and Fugaku didn't get along very well, Sasuke still considered him his father.

Turning on his side, he stared out into the darkness once more before closing his eyes. _'It was meant to be like this…' _He thought, referring to his relationship with Sakura.

X

A single tear trailed down her cheek when she blinked. Staring out at the moon, Sakura pushed the windows open before clambering on her bed and pulling the covers over her slim body.

God, Sasuke was such a big jerk! She had honestly thought that he was finally coming around, but he just had to ruin everything! What was his problem anyway? She didn't want this marriage either! Couldn't he at least try to make it work like she was?

Breathing in, she forced the tears back and exhaled. She was tired! She had enough of his attitude! He wanted nothing between them to ever change? Fine! He didn't want anything to do with her? Fine! She had been stupid to put up with him this far, but starting tomorrow…

_'He will get what he wants!' _

* * *

_A/N: Um… So what do you guys think? Please review and make my aching fingers happy! Thanks! XD Most of the people voted for Neji to be Sakura's childhood friend, so… He's her best friend! Hm, what else did I want to say? Ah yes, who do you think should be Neji's friend? He's got to be a male because – Well, let's not ruin the story for you guys! ;)_

_One more thing, if you guys can think of a better nickname for Sakura from Neji, please tell me! 'Cherry Blossom' and 'Cherry' seems a bit… I dunno. It's only the translation of her name so I thought it's a bit simple… _

_Please review and don't forget to choose another male character! _

_:)_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hey guys! :) Happy to see me with the next chapter? Shout out to: ILoveSxS, Arzella, crazymel2008, Uchiha Misaki and all of the Guests... Thank you all very much for reviewing and making me happy! _

_Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, Kishi does! _

* * *

_Chapter 5_

_The next morning…_

Sasuke reached out and slammed his fist on the alarm clock, successfully stopping the irritating noise, but somehow destroying it in the process… Not that he cared. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing drowsy onyx orbs.

Pushing the dark blue covers away, he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. Moving his hands, he gripped the edge of the bed and sat for a few minutes before rising to his feet. Running a hand through his messy raven hair, he made his way to the bathroom to freshen up.

Fifteen minutes later, he was walking down the stairs, dressed in a fitted dark navy shirt – with three buttons left undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows – and black pants.

When he entered the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see Sakura sitting down with a mug of steaming tea. What surprised him though was the fact that she looked up and gave him a blank stare, before returning to stare at the dark counter.

_'… She didn't say good morning…' _Sasuke realized with a small frown, narrowing his eyes at the pink-haired female while shoving his hands in his pockets. After a few seconds of trying to figure her out, he looked away, deciding he wasn't interested in her sudden mood change.

Grabbing his own mug, he walked over and sat down, about to pour tea for himself, when he noticed that the teapot was empty. Glancing up at Sakura, he got the feeling that she was behind this. Speaking of her, she was still not paying any attention to him and kept sipping her tea gently.

_'It's almost like she's trying to avoid me… Why?' _The Uchiha thought, observing her silently. Her eyes were downcast; her pink hair was hiding most of her face. Her lips were set in a slight frown and she was clutching her mug tightly with both hands.

"Sakura," he spoke up for the first time since he had entered, noticing her stiffen at the sound of his voice. He waited for her to look up, refusing to continue until she did so. After a minute or so, she looked up reluctantly.

"What?" Sakura asked; her voice strangely impassive.

"Where's my tea?" Sasuke questioned back, finding her behaviour strange. What was up with her? Why was she acting like this? He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a dry laugh.

"I didn't make tea for you today, I'm sorry! I thought that Sasuke _Uchiha_ would at _least_ be able to prepare tea for himself, but I guess not…" Sakura trailed off, placing her empty mug down.

Sasuke stopped the surprise from showing on his face and instead furrowed his eyebrows. "Sakura… Why are you being like this?"

"I'm sorry, what?" The pinkette raised a thin eyebrow. "What am I being like?"

Sasuke frowned. "You know exactly how you're behaving today… You didn't say good morning like you usually do, you didn't make tea for me-″

Sakura cut him off with a bitter laugh. "You wanted me to be like this, did you not? _'Just because I spoke to you in front of Naruto doesn't change anything between us'_!" She mimicked him, rolling her eyes. "You think you can do whatever you want, say whatever you want and still expect me to be the same? I'm sorry, but I'm only human! I have feelings you know! I'm fed up of your attitude and how you always hurt-″

"I'm not stopping you." Sasuke interrupted her with a cold voice, standing up from his seat. "Do whatever you want, say whatever you want, be however you want to be… Just don't ever expect me to change."

The Uchiha filled the teapot with water and set it on the stove, waiting patiently for it to boil.

Sakura looked behind her to see him standing by the teapot. Sighing, she turned around and stared at her empty mug. _'Why can't he be a little nicer…?' _She found herself thinking. _'None of this is my fault! I didn't force him to marry me! Instead of blaming his parents, he takes out his anger on me-′_

A loud clatter followed by a low, painful hiss caught Sakura's attention, effectively bringing her out of her thoughts. Spinning around quickly, she was alarmed to see Sasuke clutching his arm. Her emerald eyes widened when she noticed the red marks that were beginning to form.

Gasping, she shot out of her seat and was standing before him in an instant. "What did you do?!" She yelled, seizing his arm and inspecting it with a wince. "You burned yourself! Weren't you paying any attention at all?!" Sakura continued scolding him, not aware of his eyes on her. "Wait here…"

Sasuke watched as she carefully moved past the teapot and the spilt, boiling water. He glanced down at his stinging arm and clenched his teeth in pain. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't been paying much attention to the teapot, therefore causing it to slip out of his grasp.

Sitting down on a stool, he waited impatiently for Sakura to come back. It was partly her fault that he got burnt… If she had just made the tea like she always did, then this wouldn't have happened.

_'It's not HER fault! You were the one being a jerk to her! You made her like this! You deserve anything that happens to you! The reason why you got burnt was because of the way you treat her!' _His inner appeared, frustrating the already annoyed Uchiha.

Pushing his inner self away, he leaned back and thought back to how she had immediately come to his aid even though they had just argued…

Sasuke looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Sakura walk in the room with a white box in her hands that had a red plus in the centre. His ebony eyes followed her movements as she came over and stood in front of him, her eyes avoiding him the entire time. She opened the first aid kit and took out some kind of cream.

"This helps to get rid of the burn marks and also reduces the pain." Sakura informed him, grabbing his hand without looking up. She was unaware of the small tingle that shot up his arm at her touch. The pinkette opened the lid and was about to rub the cream on his skin when he surprised her by pulling his hand away. Sakura finally looked up to see him frowning a little.

"I can apply it myself," he said coldly, stretching out to grab it from her and narrowing his eyes when she moved it away from his reach.

"Stop being stubborn for once Sasuke, and let me put it on for you…" Sakura waited to see if he would say anything else, but when he simply shot her an annoyed glance, she knew that he wouldn't stop her again. When he looked away from her, the corners of her lips lifted up in a slight small for no reason. Well… Maybe she thought he looked kind of cute acting the way he was right now…

_'There's nothing cute about being stubborn!' _She scolded herself, wondering how that thought could even enter her mind! _'He's anything but cute!'_

_'Of course he's cute! Just look at the way he's sulking like a child that gets his favourite toy taken away from him! And the crossed arms just add in to the cuteness!' _Inner Sakura popped up.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "_I agree with you on the child part because he's acting really immature right now! I mean, just look at him! And like I said before, he's anything but cute! He's a conceited, arrogant jerk that thinks the whole world revolves around him!'_

_'I agree but you're missing out some of the details… He's a GORGEOUS, conceited, INCREDIBLY HOT, arrogant, EXTREMELY SEXY jerk that thinks the whole world revolves around him!' _Inner Sakura gushed, causing Outer Sakura to gasp with wide eyes.

_'No he's not-′ _Sakura stopped mid-thought when she noticed Sasuke staring at her as if she had grown another head. Why was he looking at her like that? Had she been saying those things out loud? Oh God! What if-

"Aren't you going to apply the cream? I don't have all day…" Sasuke's husky voice muttered impatiently. Sakura hoped that he didn't notice how she flushed up in embarrassment as she grasped his hand and began rubbing the cool cream against his warm skin softly. She winced at the sight of the dark red burn marks and gently ran her fingertips over them, feeling very guilty. It was all her fault! If only she had made tea for him this wouldn't have happened!

Since she was so occupied with thoughts of guilt, she didn't notice Sasuke looking at her as she nursed him. The Uchiha took in her downcast eyes and how her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Why was she doing this? All he ever did was hurt her feelings… And yet, she still cared for him…

Sasuke shook his head with a slight smirk when he saw her wince every time she applied the cream on his arm. It didn't hurt… Not as much as it did before anyway. He turned his attention back to the pink-haired female and felt his heart tighten strangely. Sakura was too… Kind… He didn't deserve anything she was doing for him…

"I'm sorry…" Sakura murmured quietly, keeping her eyes on his arm.

"… Why are you sorry? It was me that got my arm burnt." The Uchiha said, feeling her fingers stroke the burn marks tenderly. He held back a painful hiss and clenched his teeth together instead. Looking up through his black bangs, he was startled to see her staring straight in his eyes. Her emerald orbs were full of guilt.

"No, it's my fault that you got burnt… This wouldn't have happened if I had just made tea like I always did... I'm sorry." Her head hung low again as she screwed the cap and placed the cream back inside the first aid kit.

Sasuke said nothing… Or to be more specific, he didn't know what to say. Sakura was blaming herself for what happened to him… She really was too kind. He stared at her, trying to figure out why she had to marry him of all people. She deserved to be with someone who loved her and cared for her… It was unfair for her to be stuck with a cold and selfish person such as himself…

He looked away when she stood up and walked out of the room. Sasuke glanced down at his left arm and felt the need to thank her. Standing up from the stool, he exited the kitchen and looked around for a familiar pink-haired female but he couldn't see her anywhere.

Making his way to the stairs, he was about to take the first step when the doorbell rang. Freezing mid-step, he turned around and moved to the front door. He cursed when the person kept ringing the doorbell impatiently. Yanking the door open, his dark eyes narrowed at the male standing before him.

He was a tall and muscular guy with strange white eyes and long dark hair that was tied in a loose ponytail behind him. He had pale skin and was dressed in a white, long-sleeved top with dark brown pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he wore a silver watch on his left wrist…

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke asked impolitely with a frown, not knowing who this weirdo was or how he had found his home for that matter…

"Where is Sakura?" The guy questioned back with a blank face, ignoring whatever the Uchiha had said. "I wonder if this is the right place, he does look like a…" He muttered to himself, before looking up with a slight frown. "Are you Sasuke...? Uchiha…?"

"Who else…? Who the heck are you?" Sasuke's frown deepened. What did this guy want with Sakura? Were they…? No! But then what was a guy doing showing up at his house and asking for his wife? _Wife! _Since when did-

"I am honestly disappointed in your attitude Uchiha… How could Sakura agree to marry someone as bad-mannered as you that can't even treat his guest right?" The male smirked, causing Sasuke to glare intensely at him.

"I don't give a shit what you think of me and don't ever talk about Sakura-″

"NEJI!"

Sasuke turned around to see Sakura rush to the guy at once and wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug. The guy smiled softly and returned her embrace by placing his arms around her waist. Without knowing, he gritted his teeth together and glared at the sight before him.

"Whoa, calm down Cherry! I'm not going anywhere… Did you really miss me that much?" Neji teased his pink-haired friend, causing her to smile brightly.

"Of course I did! How are you, Neji? How were Mr and Mrs Hyuuga and Hinata?" Sakura asked, pulling away to look at him.

_'Neji Hyuuga… Hyuuga…' _Sasuke smirked, thinking of his father's rival. The Uchihas' and the Hyuugas' were the biggest rivals in Konoha… Nobody really knew how their rivalry started but his father had told him that it started with a disagreement between the two clans.

"I'm fine and my parents were too, they said hello and they are expecting to see you very soon. Hinata came with me, but she said she needed to do something before she came here." Neji replied, ruffling her hair.

"Hmm, maybe I should stop by later on today to welcome Mr and Mrs Hyuuga back… I really miss them!" Sakura grinned, grabbing his arm. "Come inside!"

As she was struggling to drag him inside the mansion, she stopped halfway when she realized that Sasuke was still standing by the door. Sakura had been so surprised by Neji's unexpected visit that she totally forgot about Sasuke…

"Um, Sasuke…?" Sakura asked, sucking in a deep breath when he looked up with an angry glare. She knew him well enough to know what was going on through his head… He probably thought that she and Neji had something going on… As crazy as it sounded!

"What?" The Uchiha snapped rudely, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. He was mad at her for inviting a stranger to his house… What was their relationship? Was she cheating on him…? Clenching his teeth, he tried to ignore how his hands formed into fists inside his pockets.

He didn't care if she was cheating on him or not, but what if people found out? That would ruin his reputation. Not to mention… He felt betrayed… It's not like their marriage was real or anything, but just the thought of her with another man-

"I'd like you to meet my best friend, Neji Hyuuga." Sakura interrupted his thoughts, turning to look at the other male afterwards. "And Neji, this is my husband, Sasuke Uchiha…"

_'Best friend?' _Sasuke thought, feeling confused. He had thought that… So, it was all just a misunderstanding. He felt his fists loosen slightly and his heart lighten at the thought. But then-

"Where was your best friend all this time, Sakura?" Sasuke asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. If he was her best friend just like she said so, then he should have been there in the wedding if not anywhere else…

"Neji and his family left for New York about five-six years ago for his father's business work and they just arrived back in Konoha yesterday." Sakura explained with a small frown. Seriously, was that what he thought of her? That only because she wasn't happy with him she would go to some other guy? This was Neji for goodness sake! Sure, most people mistook them for a couple as they were really close, but they were only best friends!

Sasuke didn't look like he believed her, but held out his right hand just to be polite. "It's nice to meet you Hyuuga…"

Neji looked down at his outstretched hand before shaking it with a small smirk. "Likewise, Uchiha…"

"Is that…? Sakura…?"

Sakura turned around at the sound of a small, feminine voice, her emerald orbs widening the instant she caught sight of the raven-haired girl.

"Hinata…? Oh my God!" Sakura's lips curled up into a bright smile as she threw her arms around the girl. "It's been such a long time! I barely recognised you!"

Both girls pulled away to take a better look at each other, their eyes widening at how much they had each changed. Sakura remembered Hinata with short hair and was pleased to see that her hair now reached past her waist. She had always thought that long hair suited her more… Hinata was taller than before and her body had also matured, but the only thing that remained the same about her was her shyness.

"Sakura, y-you have c-changed s-so much." Hinata smiled softly, shifting on her feet uncomfortably when she felt two more pairs of eyes on her.

"Is it a good change or a bad one?" Sakura asked with her own dazzling smile, realizing just how much she had missed her best friend over the years they hadn't seen each other.

"Good c-change o-of course," was the timid reply.

Sakura beamed. "Thanks Hin, you've changed too! In a good way that is…" Both girls giggled, although the guys failed to see what was so funny. "Come inside, both of you!"

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Sakura…" When the mentioned girl looked up, he frowned disapprovingly. "I want to talk to you… Alone…"

"Sure!" Sakura was oblivious when he glared deathly at her and linked her arm with Hinata. "Oh! Hinata, this is my _beloved _husband, Sasuke Uchiha." Nobody heard the sarcasm in her voice except for the Uchiha who scowled. "And Sasuke, this is my other best friend, Hinata Hyuuga. She's Neji's cousin but they're more like siblings since they live in the same house and-″

"Oh, n-nice to meet y-you S-Sasuke…" The white-eyed girl greeted with a slight smile.

Sasuke ignored the girl and slipped his hands in his pockets as the pinkette rambled on, not feeling in the least bit interested in what she was saying. When Sakura was about to say something to Neji, Sasuke growled inaudibly and grabbed Sakura's arm, practically dragging her inside the mansion.

"Ow! Sasuke! What are you – Let me go!" Sakura tried to free her arm from his grip, but it was useless. He was just too strong…

Sasuke stopped when they had reached the kitchen and turned around to face her without letting go of her arm. Sakura continued squirming in his hold, wondering what had gotten in him all of a sudden. She had simply been reuniting with her two best friends, what so wrong with that-?

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke, you dragged me here – rather painfully may I add – and left Neji and Hinata standing outside! Our guests! What are they going to think-?"

"_Your _foolish guests not mine!" The Uchiha hissed. "Now stop being annoying and go tell them to get the fuck out of here!"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Sasuke, that's NOT how you treat guests! I see my friends after a million years and you expect me to just tell them to bug off without making them tea?" She scoffed when he nodded his head and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, guess what? THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!"

"This is _my _house, meaning _I _say who can come in and who can't." The Uchiha hissed back, not liking the idea of the Hyuuga idiots coming inside _his_ residence, Sasuke _Uchiha's _residence.

"But I live here too! Meaning, _I _get to say who can come in too!" Sakura argued, not realizing that she was provoking the already mad Uchiha. "I know your family and the Hyuugas' are 'enemies', but that's not my fault!"

Sasuke glared. She really was trying his patience. "_Speaking_ to him had been difficult enough… The least I need is for him to waltz inside my house like some fucking ballerina!" He seethed, clenching his jaw angrily.

Sakura finally snapped. "You know what? You're an egotistical asshole, not to mention a stuck-up prick that thinks the whole fucking world revolves around him! You are the most conceited bastard I've ever crossed in my whole life and that's saying something because I've met a lot of pompous jerks like you before! You only care about your own selfish needs! That '_fucking ballerina' _is MY BEST FRIEND! Get it through your thick skull!" Her nostrils flared furiously. "Oh, I forgot… You don't know what friend means! Naruto - who is for some freaking reason _your _friend of all people - doesn't get treated like a friend but more like shit!"

Shooting him a heated glare, Sakura spun on her heel and marched out of the kitchen, leaving a stunned Uchiha behind. After she had disappeared out of sight, Sasuke shook his head with a small smirk and slipped his hands inside his pockets.

"Hn, thanks for the compliments, Sakura…"

X

"Forehead-girl, you're so irresponsible!"

Sakura stopped in her tracks with wide eyes. What had she done? She couldn't remember anything… But then why was Ino glaring at her with her hands placed on her hips? She only did that when she was really annoyed…

"Why am I irresponsible Ino-pig?" Sakura asked calmy, raising a thin eyebrow.

Ino rolled her eyes. "You never called me after you said you would!" When she saw confusion form on her friend's face, she sighed. "When your mother called you…"

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "What…?" Her eyes then widened in realization. "Oh… Sorry Ino, I guess I forgot…"

"See? That's being careless! I was so worried! I called you a million times but you never answered! The least you could have done was tell me that everything was alright-″

"Sorry Ino, but I kind of got busy… My mother had called to inform me about my friends. You remember when I told you about Neji and Hinata right? They arrived in Konoha yesterday… Not to mention we had a guest for dinner yesterday night so… I'm sorry." Sakura smiled apologetically.

Ino rolled her bright blue eyes again and flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "Whatever, I forgive you, but don't ever do it again, ok?"

Sakura nodded. "Speaking of Neji and Hinata…" She trailed off, smiling when a raven-haired girl walked up to them coyly.

"I parked the c-car, Sakura." Hinata said softly, her white eyes trailing over to the other girl who was looking her up and down with raised eyebrows.

"This is Hinata?" Ino asked, turning to the pinkette. When Sakura nodded, she smiled. "I figured Hinata would be a pretty girl with dark hair…"

"That's because I told you!" Sakura giggled, sticking her tongue out when the blonde gasped. Hinata couldn't help but laugh too.

"Ugh, whatever forehead… It's a pleasure to meet you Hinata! My name's-″

"Ino-pig!" Sakura interrupted, laughing when Ino shot her a glare.

Hinata nodded politely. "O-Oh… Nice to m-meet you Ino-pig-″ Her greeting was cut short when Sakura – who had just stopped laughing – snickered uncontrollably and doubled over, clutching her painful stomach since she was laughing too hard.

The raven-haired girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Her eyes widened slightly when the blonde laughed sheepishly and smacked the pinkette on the head, effectively stopping her chortles.

"Ignore her. My name is actually Ino Yamanaka." The blonde smiled, gritting her teeth when Sakura started laughing again.

"Oh, nice to m-meet you," Hinata smiled, looking between them.

Sakura stopped laughing and straightened up. "Alright, so Neji went back home since I requested if this could be a girl's day only… So you both know what that means right?"

Hinata shook her head in confusion, whereas Ino grinned brightly.

"Duh! It's shopping time!"

X

Sasuke looked up at the sound of his ringtone. Sighing, he muted the TV and reached for his phone which was vibrating on the coffee table.

"What?" He murmured grumpily, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Sasuke, is that anyway to talk to your mother?!" Mikoto teased on the other end, immediately making him sit up.

"Mom?"

"Sasuke dear, I called to remind you about the Friday night dinner-″

Sasuke grunted. "I know… It's tomorrow…"

"Not tomorrow! It's today!" His mother sighed, as if she had somehow expected him to forget. "I'm guessing you haven't told Sakura yet…?" She said knowingly.

"Hn, I'll tell her." Sasuke informed, slumping down on the sofa once more.

"Well, that's why I called. I'll see you and Sakura later, honey."

"Yeah, bye…"

Sasuke ended the call and tossed his phone, cursing when it slid over the table and on the floor. Groaning, he ran a hand through his dark spiky hair and glared at nothing in particular. This whole 'dinner' thing was a nuisance.

Telling himself that he was only doing it for his mother, he stood up and grabbed his leather jacket on the way out in search of a certain pink-haired someone…

X

"That was fun, although I never thought I'd end up buying so much! You guys didn't even buy anything!" Sakura smiled, looking down at the shopping bags she was carrying. They were so much, she could barely carry them.

"Well Sakura, in case you haven't noticed, not everyone has a wealthy hubby that hand out credit cards as if they are just, I dunno, a worthless piece of card!" Ino rolled her eyes playfully.

Sakura bit her lip to stop the smile from getting bigger. Sasuke… He may argue with her and not treat her the way she wanted, but he always gave her money even though she never asked. A frown replaced her smile when she recalled their argument a few hours earlier…

"I-Isn't that Sasuke?" Hinata's quiet voice interjected her thoughts.

"What would Sasuke be doing-″

Sakura froze when she looked up. Hinata was right; Sasuke was right there! Her eyes stayed locked on him. He was looking around as if looking for someone…

"Oh wow! Please don't punch me Sakura, but you've got yourself the hottest man alive! I wonder if he has a brother…"

Sakura was too focused on Sasuke to say anything back. She watched as he sauntered in all his glory down the path towards them. His dark eyes were fixed on her, and was it just her imagination or was he smirking?

Blinking out of her trance, she raised a questioning eyebrow when he stopped right in front of her. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

* * *

_A/N: The plan was to write more than this, but since I wanted to update, I stopped it there. Hope you guys don't mind... _

_You can all just forgot about the whole 'Neji's friend' thing coz I decided to change it! Please review and tell me what you think, thanks! Your reviews make my day, believe it! Lol, that's what Naruto would say... -_-_

_Next chap: The dinner!_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for being patient with me. :) I hope you like the new chapter! Before you start reading though, I wanna quickly thank: guest, ILoveSxS, NaruHinaUntilTheEnd, Arzella, Uchiha Misaki, Guest, elisabeth and Guest. :)

Disclaimer: Me no own! :P

* * *

Chapter 6

Sakura stopped staring out of the window to peek at the man sitting stiffly on the driver's seat. She couldn't deny the fact that he looked stunning in a dark blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.

Her emerald orbs trailed up to his pale face where she could see a small frown resting on his features. His dark eyes were focused on the road ahead and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Sakura's gaze dropped to his lips which were set in a firm and straight line.

'He looks so cute when he's brooding…' Sakura thought, her lips curving up in a small grin. Only when the Uchiha turned to face her with a small frown did she realize that she had just laughed out loud. Blushing in embarrassment, she quickly twisted around so she could look out of the window and watch the light rain pour down from the grey sky and splatter against the window. Her mind went back to a few hours ago as she continued staring at the raindrops.

~Flashback~

"Let's go." The Uchiha grumbled, about to turn around and walk away, only to stop with a sigh when Sakura's eyebrow shot up higher. Couldn't she just do as he said?!

"Wha-″

"Um, sorry to interrupt you guys, but… Sakura, do you have a brother-in-law?" Ino cupped the side of her mouth and spoke quietly so only her friend could hear her.

Sakura blinked. "I thought you said that you and Shikamaru are together-″

"I never said that!" Ino defended herself with a face as bright as a ripe tomato. "You always pair me up with him!"

"After you told me you had a crush on him!" Sakura countered, crossing her arms across her chest. "You even told me that you were going to ask him out and even when I called him your boyfriend several times, you never denied it so how was I supposed to know that you-″

"Um… Sakura? I-Ino?" Hinata mumbled softly, looking between the two girls nervously.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and massaged his forehead. They were beginning to get on his nerves with their absurd bickering… "Sakura…?" His jaw tightened in annoyance when she ignored him and continued on rambling.

"Ooh, I remember now! You do have a brother-in-law! A hot one at that! Do you think you can get us two together?" Ino blushed, clasping her hands together in front of her face with a dreamy expression.

Sakura stared at her blankly. "Uh… You're just being creepy Ino; I mean you don't even know Itachi and-″

"Itachi!" Ino squealed, giggling afterwards. She was unaware of the strange looks she was given as she jumped up and down happily. "Sakura, you can introduce us, can't you? We'll become friends after that and then-″

"Shut up, you're annoying me." Sasuke snapped, finally running out of patience. This girl was crazy! She barely knew his brother and yet, she wanted to get together with him… He scoffed, disregarding the blonde's pout. "My brother refused to marry the sane girls, what makes you think he's going to get together with a foolish girl like you?"

Ino's jaw dropped, Hinata's eyes widened and Sakura's eyes narrowed. "You can't talk to my friend like that!" The pinkette defended her blonde friend.

Sasuke rolled his obsidian orbs. "I can if she's being ridiculous."

"Ino was only joking! She likes somebody else okay? She-″

"Hn, don't care." Sasuke interrupted her coolly, taking a hand out of his pocket and running it through his spiky raven locks. "I'll be waiting by the car." He informed her, before turning around and disappearing out of sight as soon as he rounded a corner.

Sakura bit her lip and trailed her eyes to the blonde girl beside her. She tried to come up with an excuse otherwise her friends would question what went up Sasuke's ass all of a sudden… "Um, Sasuke's in a bad mood today. 't get much sleep last night-″ she glared when Ino grinned at her knowingly. "Don't take anything he said seriously… If you really want to be with Itachi then-″

"Oh, no, I was only kidding! I mean, sure he's hot but, um… Yeah, you know." Ino smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"You l-like someone e-else…" Hinata finished with a slight smile directed at the blonde before turning to her childhood friend. "You better go now Sakura… Don't keep your husband waiting."

"What about you guys-?″

"Neji said he will pick us up." Hinata cut her off with a smile.

"Sweet! I get to see who this 'Neji' guy is!" Ino grinned; switching the two bags to her other hand.

"Oh, okay… Bye then you guys!" Sakura smiled, placing the shopping bags on the floor as she gave her friends a quick hug each.

Retrieving the bags, she turned around to walk away, only to stop at Hinata's quiet voice. Spinning around, the pinkette raised a questioning eyebrow when she saw the dark-haired girl holding out a thin, red box out for her.

"Hinata…?"

"I almost f-forgot… T-This is your w-wedding gift from m-me and Neji… W-We're very sorry a-about not being there f-for you on them-most i-important day of your l-life-″

"You're kidding me right!? I told you guys before, what matters most is that the two of you are here now! You guys didn't have to buy me anything-″

"W-We wanted to… Here." Hinata smiled gently, pushing the box in her direction.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I can't accept this."

"I'll be upset i-if you d-don't take it, Sakura..." Hinata frowned, seeming hurt by her refusal. Sighing, Sakura set down the bags once again and carefully took the box out of Hinata's outstretched hand. Smiling at her, she slowly lifted the lid and gasped as soon as she caught sight of the beautiful, expensive diamond necklace that rested inside with matching earrings. So this must be what Hinata had wanted to buy earlier when she told them she needed to go to the shop across from them…

"Oh my God…" Sakura mumbled in awe, running her fingers over the precious jewel gently. Looking up, she threw her arms around Hinata, careful not to drop the box. "Thank you so much Hinata! I absolutely love it! It's gorgeous!"

Hinata giggled, returning the hug. "You're w-welcome Sakura. It's still n-not enough for you… You d-deserve more than t-this."

"Aw, thanks Hin! This is more than what I deserve… Please tell Neji I said thank you for this wonderful gift." Sakura pulled away with a bright smile, bending down to grab her shopping bags. She gently placed the jewellery box inside her shoulder bag and straightened up with a smile.

Hinata nodded her head. "I will, don't worry." She then reached in one of her shopping bags and pulled out another box that was a dark blue colour. "A-and this is for y-your husband..."

"Hinata…" Sakura trailed off with a frown. "You and Neji didn't have to-″

"It's not m-much… Take it." Hinata smiled, her smile widening slightly when Sakura sighed and grabbed the box, opening the lid hesitantly. The pinkette's jaw dropped open when she saw a beautiful silver watch resting inside.

"Thank you guys, seriously..." Sakura smiled warmly, feeling touched by her friends' thoughtfulness. Sasuke practically kicked them out of his house, yet they brushed his discourtesy away and bought him an expensive watch…

"You're welcome Sakura… I h-hope Sasuke l-like's it. W-We didn't know what he'd like s-so we just-″

"Don't worry Hinata; I'm sure Sasuke will love it!" Sakura forced a smile, not being able to help but think that he didn't deserve this…

"Ahem," a cough grabbed their attention. Both girls turned around to see Ino tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

Sakura smiled sheepishly, having forgotten that the blonde was there.

"Yes Ino?"

"Sakura, you didn't thank me when I gave you and Sasuke your gifts…"

Sakura blinked. "What? Of course I did-″

"Yeah, but not as much as you thanked Hinata…"

Sakura couldn't help but grin. Typical Ino… "Stop being jealous Ino!"

"What!? I'm not being jealous-″ the blonde stopped mid-sentence, her blue eyes resting on something behind Sakura. Curious, Sakura was about to turn around when she heard a familiar grunt.

"I believe I told you I was waiting by the car… I don't remember telling you to continue talking with your friends."

Sakura rolled her eyes and spun around to face the Uchiha whose face was impassive, but after knowing him and living in the same house for a while, she was able to tell the annoyance that danced in his dark onyx pools.

"I was saying goodbye to my friends when you-″

"Hn and saying goodbye takes you forever?"

"I… Well… Yeah! Nobody is a dick like you to just leave without saying anything to your friends!″ Sakura huffed, seeming to forget that her friends were present while she started another argument. "Seriously Sasuke, you need to take that pole out of your ass because it's really beginning to annoy me!"

Sasuke looked up at the sound of soft gasps, and flicked his eyes to Sakura's friends who were watching them with their mouths hanging open in shock. He had to do something before they became suspicious and spread the news out…

"Calm down Sakura, I was only joking." Sasuke let the corner of his mouth lift up in a smirk as he draped his arm around her shoulder. He felt her stiffen under his arm, but paid her no mind and instead turned his attention to her friends. "Hn, I always find it amusing how Sakura gets angry so quickly… That's why I bother her. Besides, it won't be much fun if we don't argue like how they say married people do…"

Sakura stared at the dark-haired boy, pondering what he might be up to. Frowning, she was about to voice out her thoughts only to freeze when Ino giggled.

"Yeah, that's so true! I mean, one time I accidently ate her last slice of chocolate cake and she practically ripped my head off! It's best not to get her angry, but your case is different since you're her husband." Ino grinned teasingly.

"Neji a-also likes annoying Sakura… H-he says she's t-too cute when she's a-angry." Hinata smiled, fiddling with her fingers.

'Hmm, he did that so Hinata and Ino would not get suspicious… I did say some pretty bad stuff which I'm sure any other married couples who are supposedly 'happy' together would not say. Smart move Sasuke…' Sakura thought, glancing briefly at the arm that still rested on her shoulder. Heat crawled up to her cheeks when she felt his hold tighten around her. Biting her lip softly, she looked to her left to see him scowling all of a sudden which left her feeling confused.

Sasuke quickly composed himself, not knowing why he reacted like that at the mention of Sakura's 'best friend'. "Sakura, it's getting late, let's go." The young Uchiha murmured, moving his arm away from her and letting it drop to his side.

"S-Sure… Bye Hin, bye Ino-pig." Sakura was unable to stop her laughter when Ino glared at her deathly while Hinata simply smiled.

"G-Goodbye Sakura, I'll s-see you soon."

"See you later Billboard Brow!"

Sasuke nodded in response when Sakura's friends bid them goodbye and walked in the opposite direction. He looked down to see the pinkette struggling with the shopping bags after putting the box she was holding inside her shoulder bag. Rolling his eyes, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking.

"Hey! Wait!" Sakura yelled, picking up the bags and sprinting after him. She panted when she finally caught up with him and glared, not that he noticed… Even if he did, he ignored her.

Calling him a jerk in her head, Sakura fidgeted with the heavy bags, feeling it dig in the soft flesh of her palms. Sighing, she turned to look at Sasuke who kept his eyes in front of them.

"Ugh, these bags sure are heavy!" Sakura complained, hoping he would at least pretend to be a gentleman and carry them for her. She scowled when he didn't even glance in her direction.

'So much for being a gentleman... Stupid, pig-headed bastard! Didn't his mother teach him any manners at all!?' Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration and lowered the bags to the ground, wanting to take a break. She glared hotly when Sasuke grunted and turned around to look at her.

"Why did you stop?" The Uchiha asked in a bored voice, glimpsing up at the dark sky and frowning. 'Looks like it's going to start raining soon…' He thought, his frown deepening.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not some superman to carry all these extremely heavy bags by myself! I need to stop for a few minutes, my hands hurt!" Sakura looked down at her slim and delicate hands, grimacing when she saw the red lines in her palms. She brushed her bangs away from her vision and looked up at the sound of rustling, only to gape.

Sasuke shot her an annoyed look as he easily lifted up the bags. "Come on," he grunted out, unaware of her small smile as she followed his lead.

'… Hm, so he's a gentleman after all… Well, sort of…'

X

Sakura put on her seatbelt as she waited for Sasuke to place the bags in the backseat. She turned around to face him when he got in the driver's seat and turned on the car.

"So… Where are we going?"

Silence.

"How did you know I was here?"

Silence.

Sakura was beginning to get annoyed. "Sasuke… Helloooo? I just asked you something… It must have been something important for you to go through the trouble of finding me and -″

"Hn, you talk too much." Sasuke muttered, keeping his eyes on the road. He ignored her death glares and grunted again. "We're going for dinner-″ when he saw her emerald eyes widen in surprise, he quickly added, "To the Uchiha Mansion," not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

"We're going to your parents' house for dinner? Sweet..." Sakura smiled sweetly, rolling her eyes as soon as she turned towards the window. 'I can't believe I actually thought he was going to take me out for dinner, but… Sasuke taking me out on a date…? That's just too funny and out of character to even think about!'

Brushing her bangs aside, she stole a quick look out of the corner of her eye to check the grouchy male's expression. He was grumpier than usual… If that was even possible! '… Must have something to do with the dinner…' Sakura thought, noticing his glower and how he was clutching the steering wheel tightly while keeping his dark eyes on the road. 'At least I'll be enjoying myself tonight… Sasuke's family is fun to hang out with, especially Itachi…' She smiled softly at the mention of his name. He was like the big brother she never had-

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts when the car skidded to a halt infront of Sasuke's house - their house. She looked next to her only to cringe when the door was slammed forcefully after Sasuke had made his departure. Geez… Couldn't he have shut the door a little gentler?

Rolling her eyes and muttering something about a moody Uchiha, she opened her side of the door and climbed out, making sure to take her shoulder bag with her. Frowning at the light rain, she moved to take out the shopping bags from the backseat.

'I'll have to put these away when we get back from the Uchiha manor. And maybe give him the present that Hinata and Neji bought although he doesn't deserve it… I'll think about that...' Sakura gave the bags a quick glance before making her way inside the mansion with only one thought in mind:

'What should I wear…?'

~End of flashback~

Sakura blinked when the car stopped. She looked out of the window and smiled softly when she caught sight of the enormous, beautiful mansion that was five stories high. She picked up her purse from her lap and didn't wait for Sasuke as she opened the passenger door and stepped out.

The rain was pouring heavier than before, colliding with the ground fiercely. Sakura quickly made her way to the main entrance of the mansion, getting slightly wet during the short run. Sighing, she flicked her damp bangs away from her eyes.

Looking over her shoulder, Sakura waited for Sasuke to park the car patiently. While she was waiting, she couldn't help but gasp in awe when she saw five other cars. Ok, so if one car belonged to Fugaku and one to Itachi – maybe Mikoto owned one too? – then who did the other two or three cars belong to?!

"Hn, what are you gaping at like an idiot?"

Sakura trailed her eyes to Sasuke who was now standing next to her. The rain had mildly soaked him, but he didn't seem to mind as he shoved his hands in his pockets. She turned to look at the cars again and said, "… Wow… What does your father do with that many– What did you just call me?!" She yelled as soon as she realized what he had said.

"Hn," he grunted in reply, taking his right hand out of his pocket to ring the doorbell. Sakura glared at his back but quickly placed a bright smile on her face when the door opened to reveal Mikoto who instantly beamed at the sight of them.

"Good evening mother." Sasuke said politely and tried not to groan when his mother grabbed him in a forceful embrace. Heat crawled up the back of his neck in awkwardness as he wrapped his arms loosely around her so as to not hurt her feelings. Seriously, mothers were so annoying!

"Sasuke honey, I missed you so much." Mikoto pulled away with a smile. "I'm so happy you came…" She reached up for his cheeks, taking no notice of the way his eyes widened.

'Talk about embarrassing…' The young Uchiha thought, trying to move away from her reach only to sigh when his mother pinched his cheeks and ruffled his spiky raven locks. His whole face reddened uncharacteristically when he heard muffled giggling sounds.

"Sakura dear…" Mikoto pulled away from her son with a lively smile to give her daughter-in-law a hug, who returned it happily.

"Good evening mother." Sakura greeted, smiling faintly when Mikoto's hold tightened on her at the mention of 'mother'. Even though Mikoto had told the pinkette several times to just call her by her name, Sakura knew that the older woman enjoyed being called mother...

Mikoto pulled away with a smile so bright, it practically lit up the whole place. "What are you two waiting for, come inside!" She ushered them in and closed the door. The 'couple' took off their shoes, set them neatly to the side and followed Mikoto. "Itachi kept complaining about how long you two were taking… He even assumed that you wouldn't show up because of the rain." Mikoto broke the awkward silence which Sakura was thankful for. She opened her mouth to inquire where Itachi was-

"Is father home?" - Only for Sasuke to cut in. Sakura closed her mouth and glared at his back. Her eyes then flicked to Mikoto who shook her head with a small sigh.

"No… Itachi is waiting for you two in the living room though. Don't keep him waiting… I'll come too as soon as I've spoken to the maids." Mikoto informed them with a small smile before walking away and leaving them standing in the middle of the hallway.

Sakura shifted on her feet awkwardly. "Um…"

"Hn," the stoic Uchiha grunted, his hands shoved typically in his pants pockets. The pink-haired beauty rolled her eyes and followed him to the living room.

Itachi looked up at the sound of footsteps and stood up from the sofa witha smirk as he made his way over to Sasuke. "Little brother…" He greeted in his deep voice, dishevelling Sasuke's spiky locks. His smirk widened when the grumpy Uchiha glared and fixed his hair back to the way it was.

"Itachi," Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement. Itachi shook his head with a soft chuckle before moving his dark eyes to the smiling pinkette. His lips formed a grin, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her.

"Sakura," Itachi smiled, crushing the petite girl against his muscular chest. Sakura laughed and returned the embrace by wrapping her arms around his waist. "How's my lovely sister-in-law? I hope my little brother hasn't been troubling her too much."

Sakura giggled and spoke in third person. "She's fine and is incredibly delighted to be in the presence of the amazing Itachi Uchiha."

"Are you trying to make fun of me Miss?" Itachi pulled back from the hug to give her a playful frown and tried to look offended. Sakura laughed at his expression and shook her head, completely oblivious to Sasuke's death glares.

The said Uchiha shoved his hands in his pockets and turned his face away from them. 'Hn, Sakura seems to enjoy Itachi's company a lot…' Sasuke looked up when he heard chuckling and frowned when he saw his older brother ruffle Sakura's hair who pouted.

Sasuke's hands curled into fists inside his pockets. She never smiled around him, let alone laugh... 'Hn, why did I have to marry Sakura? Itachi should have married her instead…' He rolled his eyes at the thought of his brother and Sakura together. The young Uchiha knew that Itachi and Sakura only thought of each other as siblings, but their constant laughing was beginning to get on his nerves. Without realizing what he was doing, Sasuke cleared his throat, effectively getting their attention.

Itachi smirked. "Sorry for leaving you out little brother, I know how much you hate talking to people, which is why I let you brood in your corner. In fact, I'd be surprised if you ever spoke more than two-″

"Shut up Itachi!" Sasuke interrupted with a cold scowl. His scowl darkened when Itachi turned to face the pink-haired woman with an amused grin.

"Well, what do you know? He said more than two words!" The older of the two brothers chuckled, ignoring the death glares he was receiving from Sasuke. The pinkette burst out laughing but immediately stopped when Sasuke focused his glare on her.

"What's going on here?" Mikoto entered the room with a smile and raised a questioning eyebrow at her older son who was still chuckling.

"Nothing important, I was only teasing Sasuke." Itachi smirked at his younger brother who glared back.

Sasuke's eyes were beginning to hurt from glaring so much, therefore he decided to simply ignore his brother. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, frowning when he heard his mother laugh along with Sakura. He knew he was the cause of their amusement… And Sasuke Uchiha didn't like being used as entertainment...

"Sakura honey, go and sit down next to your husband." Mikoto smiled softly, gesturing to her sulky son. "He looks gloomy, I can tell why…" She whispered quietly. "Husbands hate being embarrassed in front of their wives!"

The pinkette flicked her eyes over to her husband, whose hands were laced together infront of his face, before turning to Mikoto and nodding her head with a slight smile. She knew that Sasuke could care less about being embarrassed in front of her simply because he didn't care about HER. The pink-haired female took off her raincoat and was about to walk out to hang it in the hallway when a maid entered the room with a tray. The brunette girl set the tray down on the table and gently grasped the coat from her hands.

"Thank you," Sakura said quietly, not wanting to seem rude. The maid nodded once and left the room. Seeing as the maid had gone, Sakura picked up the tray and walked over to both Mikoto and Itachi– who were now sitting on the large sofa opposite Sasuke - with what appeared to be milky coffee.

"Thank you honey," Mikoto smiled as she grasped the handle of a cup, and took a small sip so as not to burn her tongue. She pulled the cup away from her lips and added, "You look absolutely lovely dear," which made the pinkette beam and thank her in a soft voice.

Itachi grabbed a cup with a small smirk. "Thanks Sakura… You look amazing by the way. Blue looks good on you … Hmm, I know someone who likes that colour…" He trailed off with a teasing smile, flicking his eyes to his quiet brother. "Trying to impress a certain brooding person, are we sister-in-law…?"

Sakura's face heated up, but she quickly controlled her blush. "You're welcome and thank you for the compliment. My mother always did say that the colour blue went well with my pink hair." She smiled, ignoring his amused expression. She balanced the tray on one hand and tucked a few loose strands of pink hair away from her eyes before making her way over to Sasuke.

The dark-haired boy didn't look up from glaring at the poor carpet when she stopped in front of him and held out the tray. Sakura couldn't help but roll her emerald orbs and cleared her throat to get his attention.

Sasuke glanced up at her with an irritated sigh and grabbed a cup so fast he nearly spilled it in the process. Rolling her eyes again, she moved to the table and placed the tray down, before grabbing the remaining cup of coffee and taking a seat next to the young Uchiha who stiffened slightly.

Mikoto smiled at the scene. She was about to take a smile sip when the doorbell rang. "Fugaku is home…" She informed the others, rising up from the sofa and leaving the room with her cup of coffee. Sakura watched Mikoto exit the room then returned to sipping her coffee. She looked up in confusion when Itachi stood up as well.

"I'm going up to my room, excuse me." Itachi announced politely, moving to stride out of the door only to stop at Sasuke's scoff. He turned to raise an eyebrow at his younger brother.

Sasuke focused his eyes on Itachi witha small smirk. "Hn, since when are you so well-mannered?"

"Since when do you speak more than two words?" Itachi shot back with a smirk of his own, his smirk widening when Sasuke scowled. "At least I know how to behave myself in front of the ladies unlike SOMEONE…" He emphasized the last word, chuckling when the pinkette laughed.

"Go to hell!" The grumpy Uchiha growled, causing Sakura to gasp out loud in shock. When Itachi laughed harder, a smirk replaced his glare. "Or better yet… Go trim your hair."

Sakura's eyes widened as she looked between the two brothers nervously. "Sasuke, that's not how you speak to your older brother-″

"Whatever little bro, you're just jealous that you don't have

beautiful hair like me! All the girls exclaim I'm hot… And they told me that your moodiness makes you unattractive." Itachi smirked, chuckling when Sasuke shot him the finger. He gladly returned the gesture by flashing his own middle finger. Sakura couldn't help it anymore; she burst out laughing at their antics.

X

'Talk about awkward…' Sakura thought, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. She bit her lip and followed the maids' movements as they set down the covered dishes on the dining table before removing the lids. When all of the dishes were laid out on the table, the maids bowed and left. 'Mmm…' The alluring scent of the different types of food reached her nose, causing her stomach to grumble loudly.

The pinkette felt heat rush to her cheeks in embarrassment when she saw everyone's heads turn to her. 'Oh God… If only it hadn't been so quiet, they wouldn't have noticed… It's a good thing Mr Uchiha isn't here, that would have been more embarrassing!' Sakura turned twice as red when Mikoto held out a plate of fries.

"Here, pop a few in your mouth… We'll start eating as soon as Fugaku gets here." The older woman smiled and set the dish in front of the pinkette who hesitated.

Sakura knew that the Uchihas' had a habit of waiting for the whole family to show up before they started eating unlike the other clans. She assumed it was a sign of respect and those who ate before everyone else was considered impolite...

'I'll never understand Uchihas' and their confusing ways…' Sakura thought, thinking back to how she practically stuffed food in her mouth as if there was no tomorrow in her parents' house…

"Um, I'll just wait until-″ a loud rumble interrupted her speech, and the face that had just cooled down, blushed intensely. 'Oh God! This is too embarrassing!' Sakura bit her lip and glanced up, her eyes landing on Itachi who looked like he was holding himself back from laughing.

Glaring jokingly, she froze when she heard a small grunt from beside her. Turning her head to look at Sasuke, she was surprised to see a small amused smirk on his lips as he kept his eyes focused in front of him. '… Even HE – Mr moody who never smiles –is amused! God, I think I'm gonna die!'

Not wanting to be more embarrassed than she already was, Sakura reached out and grasped a small fry, avoiding everyone's eyes as she slowly nibbled on it. 'Why is Mr Uchiha taking so long anyway? He's the one being discourteous and making everyone else wait for him by not showing up on time…'

The pinkette snapped out of her thoughts when said man walked inside the huge dining room. Swallowing the fry in her mouth, she stood up and bowed graciously. "Good evening father."

Fugaku focused his dark eyes on his pink-haired daughter-in-law and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Good evening… How are you, Sakura?"

"I'm good father, thank you for asking." Sakura replied politely, seeing the corner of his mouth lift up in a rare smile. She sat back down when he gestured for her to do so and kept her eyes on him as he took his own seat at the head of the table.

"Good evening dad." Itachi greeted, grabbing a few fries and popping them in his mouth. Fugaku nodded his head and flicked his eyes to Sasuke who was interested in staring at the smooth table in front of him.

Sakura eyed the father and son as an awkward silence fell upon the room. From what she knew, it seemed that Sasuke's bitterness towards Fugaku was simply for the reason that Itachi had always been his father's favourite and he was always expected to be more like his older brother… And of course, there was also the thing about the arranged marriage…

"Sasuke," Fugaku's deep voice cut through the silence. When Sasuke ignored him with a grunt, the elder man's eyebrows creased and a few wrinkles formed on his forehead due to his old age.

Sakura trailed her eyes to Mikoto who was giving her youngest son a pleading look. She flicked her eyes to Itachi to see his plate already overflowing with food – She had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at the sight. He was munching on something slowly as he looked between his father and brother.

'Alright, no matter what Mr Uchiha has done, he's still Sasuke's father… Poor Mrs Uchiha looks so worried. She was probably hoping for a nice family dinner yet what she's getting is the exact opposite…' Sakura thought, peeking sideways at the grumpy Uchiha sitting down next to her. Not being able to take the tension anymore, Sakura brushed her foot against Sasuke's, successfully getting his attention.

Sasuke stiffened when he felt a foot rubbing lightly against his own. Frowning, he slowly turned his head towards the pinkette and raised a questioning eyebrow. His eyes narrowed when Sakura merely smiled and continued stroking his foot. 'What the heck is she doing…?' He thought furiously, trying to ignore how smooth and soft her skin felt.

Sakura shifted and leaned towards him so only he could hear her. "Sasuke, your mother has worked very hard for tonight… You better not ruin her –scratch that – everyone's evening by being a conceited jerk! Take that stick out of your ass –now - for the next few hours and you can shove it back in as soon as we go home!" She hissed quietly, moving away from him.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth curved up in an amused smirk for a split second against his will before it faded away. Sensing his mother's anxious eyes on him, he murmured, "Good evening… Father..."

Sakura looked at him in shock. Did Sasuke actually… Listen to her? She skimmed her eyes over to Itachi– whose jaw was hanging open– and Mikoto – who was smiling tenderly at her young son.

"… Good evening son." The leader of the Uchiha clan said instead of nodding his head like he did to Itachi. Sasuke wouldn't be able to see it anyway because his eyes were focused in front of him.

"The food is getting cold…" Mikoto informed, and when no one made a move to fill up their plates –apart from Itachi who grabbed another rice ball or two – she sighed before smiling widely. "What are you all waiting for? Dig in!"

Sakura – feeling hungrier than ever - didn't hesitate and placed a few rice balls in her plate along with some sliced cucumber and cabbage leaves. She picked up the chopsticks that were next to her plate, tugged them apart and stole a quick look at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

The stoic Uchiha's plate was filled with– 'Hm, let me see… 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12...13, 14… The rest are hidden under the other slices!– God knows how many slices of tomato with room left for only two or three riceballs!

Rolling her eyes, she looked away from his plate and was about to start eating when she noticed that he had paused and wasn't reaching for the rice balls anymore. Trailing her emerald orbs from his frozen hands to his face, she saw him give her a questioning frown.

Sakura turned away from Sasuke when she felt eyes on her and quickly realized that the other members of his family – minus Fugaku – were watching her curiously which made her blush in slight embarrassment. They must have seen her staring weirdly at the tomatoes on Sasuke's plate…

"Uh… I always wondered what Sasuke ate that gave him such flawless skin." Sakura let out a nervous giggle when they all stared at her as if she had grown two more heads.

Mentally face-palming, she wondered why she had just said something as stupid as that! Seriously, just because she was nervous about being in the presence of the great Uchiha family, didn't mean that she had to blurt out anything that came to her mind just to break the awkward silence!

Mikoto smiled softly and continued chewing, whereas Itachi simply chuckled and piled more food on his plate. Blushing, Sakura picked up a rice ball and gently nibbled on it, completely unaware of Sasuke's small, amused smirk.

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Well? Please, don't forget to leave a review, it means more than you think! :) I know there's not much SasuSaku going on, but trust me, there soon will be. I don't want to rush things...

Next chap: part 2 of the dinner! :)


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